When stressed on the job, professionals increasingly reach for unhealthy snacks
People who are stressed at work are more likely to snack on sweets in between jobs. This is the result of a recently published study by psychologists at the University of Mannheim.
Whether it's because of the heat or the beach figure - especially in summer, many people consciously opt for a healthy, light diet. But do working people manage to forego ice cream in the afternoon and reach for an apple instead, even in a stressful workday? A team of Mannheim-based industrial and organizational psychologists led by Prof. Sabine Sonnentag addressed this question in a study recently published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
Bad mood is compensated by sweets
For the study, 247 working people from various organizations were surveyed about their working conditions and their snacking behavior. The results showed that employees turn to unhealthy snacks such as ice cream or chocolate bars when they want to compensate for their bad mood. This, in turn, is often triggered by high work demands and stress on the job. "If they have to pull themselves together strongly at work in order to cope with their tasks, many people find it harder to do without unhealthy snacks as well," Professor Sonnentag explains this finding. And so people increasingly reach for sweets on such days at work. On the other hand, the participants tended to reach for fruit and other healthy snacks on days when they wanted to pay particular attention to their health.
Further study in progress
"Interestingly, the desire for healthy food does not decrease just because one is exposed to high demands," Professor Sonnentag continues. Thus, it seems to be easier for working people to reach for healthy snacks even on stressful days if a healthy diet is exemplified in the company and promoted by the employer.
Prof. Sabine Sonnentag's team is currently conducting another study on snacking and physical activity in the workplace. "We want to find out exactly where the obstacles to healthier behavior at work lie and how smart technologies can be used to make people more health-conscious," says Sonnentag.
Source: University of Mannheim
