A new study warns that sitting for long periods can have adverse effects on your mental and psychological health. The study conducted by the University of Huddersfield in the UK found that many people spend over eight hours a day sitting, either due to working from home or during vacations. Researchers noted that this, in turn, leads to harmful effects on mental health.
Even individuals who engage in moderate or vigorous physical activity for 150 minutes per week experienced negative impacts on their mental health, suggesting that more exercise is needed to balance their increasingly sedentary lifestyles.
Dr. Lyan Azivedo, one of the study's authors, stated, "Although our sample of about 300 people was very active, they were sitting for longer periods, with over 50 percent of them sitting for more than eight hours a day."
Azivedo added, "We found that sitting time, along with some demographic factors and pre-existing health conditions, were the key variables negatively affecting mental health and psychological well-being."
Other studies have shown that if you sit for more than eight hours, to offset the negative impact of sedentary behavior on health outcomes, you need to exercise for a longer duration.
Reducing sitting time has a positive effect on mental health, and researchers recommend that, in addition to increasing physical activity, sitting time should be reduced to maintain mental and psychological health, according to the Daily Mail.
