Fidgeting at work can help you live longer, study finds

Fidgeting can offset the unhealthy effects of sitting for long periods and may even help you live longer, research has shown.

Scientists who analysed data on more than 12,700 British women found that too much time spent sitting still increased the risk of dying within a given period – except among those who rated themselves as “moderately or very” fidgety.

Professor Janet Cade, from the School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds, who co-led the study, said the findings

raise questions about whether the negative associations with fidgeting, such as rudeness or lack of concentration, should persist if such movements are beneficial for our health.

Even physically active adults can spend up to 15 hours a day sitting down, the researchers said. Breaks in sitting time have previously been shown to improve markers of good health, such as body mass index (BMI) and glucose and insulin responses.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

More:Working with men is bad for your health, study shows

More:George W Bush says this was the most nervous moment of his entire presidency