16 December 2005

How to impress the boss this Christmastime!

Christmas revellers faced with a return to work after enjoying a festive lunch are being offered some timely advice in how to stay in the boss's good books by a researcher at the University of Dundee.

According to psychologist Dr Douglas Potter the best way to ward off afternoon lethargy and boost performance after a spot of lunchtime indulgence is nothing more strenuous than taking a short walk.

"A brisk ten minute walk is ideal," said Dr Potter, whose research with Denis Keeling of Keele University into the effects of exercise on human memory was published earlier this year in the Journal of Sports and Exercise Psychology.

"There is clear evidence of a post-lunch dip in memory and attention performance and in our study we demonstrated that a brisk walk would significantly reduce this effect. The dip in performance is due to circadian rhythms - a hangover from our evolutionary past - which encourage us to want to rest in the afternoon.

"The more we indulge at lunchtime the more we will feel like taking a nap and the more dozy we will feel. The best way to counteract that is to take a brisk walk. I certainly wouldn't advise anyone to do anything more strenuous but a short walk will perk you up. I can't offer any guarantees in terms of how long it will perk you up but it should do the trick for a while."

Interestingly Dr Potter added that he and his colleagues were not planning a Christmas lunch themselves this year, preferring instead to postpone their celebrations until after the day's work is done!

The effects of moderate exercise and diurnal rhythms on memory, by Dr Potter and Denis Keeling was published this year in the Journal of Sports and Exercise Psychology, 27(1), 117-125.

The study involved memory tests given to a group of shift workers at 9.30am, 12.30pm, 3.30pm and 6.30pm. Without exercise there was clear evidence of a circadian rhythm in performance with peak performance at 12.30pm and poorest performance at 3.30pm. Moderate exercise improved performance at all time periods except 12.30pm.

For more information contact:

Hilary McNally,
Press Office
Tel: 01382 344021,
out of hours: 07968298585,
Email: h.mcnally@dundee.ac.uk