Mindful Use of Technology at Work Could Reduce Stress, Study Suggests
By Mental Health Correspondent
Taking a more mindful approach to technology at work could help reduce stress and improve mental wellbeing, according to researchers at the University of Nottingham.
The team has developed what it says is the first scale designed to measure "digital mindfulness" – how deliberately and thoughtfully people use technology in the workplace.
The researchers surveyed around 400 UK employees over a month and found that those who scored more highly for digital mindfulness were less likely to report technostress and exhaustion, and more likely to report better mental wellbeing.
Lead researcher Elizabeth Marsh, a PhD researcher in the University's School of Psychology, said it was not simply the amount of technology people used that mattered.
"As more and more of our working lives are mediated by digital technology, what matters is not just how much we use it, but how we engage with it," she said.
"Digital mindfulness – engaging with our devices and applications in a deliberate, attentive and non-reactive way – appears to be a genuinely protective resource for wellbeing in the modern workplace."
The study identified three key aspects of digital mindfulness: using technology with a clear purpose, staying focused rather than becoming distracted, and responding with patience when things go wrong.
Marsh said those habits could be developed over time.
"Simple habits – setting an intention before picking up a device, protecting your attention from notifications, and meeting digital frustrations with self-compassion rather than self-criticism – can all help," she said.
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Professor Alexa Spence, from the University's School of Psychology, said the findings suggested the way people interact with technology should be considered alongside wider efforts to improve workplace wellbeing.
"Digital technologies are now central to how we work, but their downsides for wellbeing – technostress, overload and burnout – are increasingly clear," she said.
"This research shows that how individuals engage with technology is an important part of the picture, alongside organisational and design responses."
The research has been published in Computers in Human Behavior and was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council's Midlands Graduate School (ESRC-MGS).
