14 DAY TRIAL // Sending and reading emails is one risky business, Professor Tom Jackson of the Loughborough University says.
This specialist argues that, after monitoring people working for a government agency in the United Kingdom, he reached the conclusion that these two activities cause stress levels to go through the roof.
On the longer run, these elevated stress levels can translate into potentially life-threatening conditions such as hypertension and heart failure.
Daily Mail reports that, although some might be tempted never to read or write another email again after becoming acquainted with what Professor Tom Jackson has to say about these activities, the situation is not all that bad at the end of the day.
Apparently, it is irrelevant and distracting emails that have a negative impact on one's mental health.
Emails that require an immediate response should also be listed as an underlying cause of elevated stress levels.
“Over the years, email has been the focus of many research studies and is sometimes portrayed as a bad communication medium. Indeed, this study has shown that email causes stress when compared to having email-free time,” Professor Tom Johnson summed up the findings of this study.
“Multi-tasking email alongside other communication media, such as phone and face-to-face meetings, increases the risk of becoming stressed,” he further added.
As was to be expected, the professor observed that emails that provided relevant and even helpful information had no detrimental effect on a person's pressure, heart rate and cortisol (i.e. a hormone associated with stress) levels.
The researcher is convinced that, given the right approach, stress-inducing emails would no longer affect people as much as they presently do.
As he puts it, “The key to reducing workplace stress is better training for staff on how to manage their communication media, from better diary control to limiting how often they check their email accounts.”