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Why Standing Desks Are Overrated

nytimes.com

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Re: Why Standing Desks Are Overrated

#121

Post by dymk »

jboy55 wrote: post #84
dymk wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s not how the burden of proof works. The author claims that they’re “overrated”, yet doesn’t provide evidence to support that claim. We shouldn’t be so used to headlines not matching up with article content, but then again, it’s 2018.

I think he does provide enough evidence. He provides studies that show no difference between sitting and standing in regards to cardiovascular health. He even provides an alternate hypothesis, that 'sitting' is a marker of poor health decisions not the cause of it. I'm not sure what evidence you are looking for?

I'm looking for evidence that it's "overrated". "Overrated" here means they're valued as a tool to improve cardiovascular health, when they don't provide that benefit.

I've never actually seen a standing desk advertised, or even recommended, as a tool for improving cardiovascular health. So I don't see how they can be "rated" as such.

I use a standing desk sometimes because it breaks up the monotony of sitting, and because sometimes I want to stretch my legs. It does well in that regard, and that's what I see them being advertised for.

Re: Why Standing Desks Are Overrated

#122

Post by m104 »

closeparen wrote: post #105
netcan wrote: post #68

You know what the problem with problems is? I'll tell you the problem with problems... :) Imagine Jules. Jules likes to put her laptop on the counter and work standing for an hour after lunch, while having her coffee. ...helps her digestion, or neck or something.. Personally, I like standing and/or walking while working too. I think better, it feels like. I like walking meetings, especially if we're going to be schem…

Businesses can't seem to admit that they're spending money based on employee preference. There has to be a metrics-driven productivity or healthcare spending argument to justify the budget.

Data helps corporate management avoid personal responsibility, so it's not just "As a leader, I think..." but rather "Look at what the data is telling us to do." Yeah, it sucks.

Re: Why Standing Desks Are Overrated

#123

Post by mancerayder »

JshWright wrote: post #93
jm__87 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks. I stopped reading the article here: > Research, however, suggests that warnings about sitting at work are overblown, and that standing desks are overrated as a way to improve health. Who cares what research says. If someone says it helps them and they prefer it to sitting, that is enough proof for me.

Turns out, you and the author agree... > Sit-stand desks are not exactly inexpensive, but like many things in life, they’re fine if you like them. And if it helps alleviate some back and neck pain, so much the better. It’s just that most people probably don’t need them.

See, and here lies the issue with an article like this, it's wishy-washy. I've been reading the NYT for years, and it's not just the NYT that does this: write committed non-committal pieces with lots of words, sort of like an English essay in university. Good thing this is non-committal standing-desk wordplay and not politics, this time!

Re: Why Standing Desks Are Overrated

#124

Post by narag »

netcan wrote: post #68

You know what the problem with problems is? I'll tell you the problem with problems... :) Imagine Jules. Jules likes to put her laptop on the counter and work standing for an hour after lunch, while having her coffee. ...helps her digestion, or neck or something.. Personally, I like standing and/or walking while working too. I think better, it feels like. I like walking meetings, especially if we're going to be schem…

You are right about standing and so many other things. The problem :) with open offices thouhgh is that noise is not a like/dislike thing. You can't choose whether you can concentrate in a noisy envirnoment or not. And oh, you are not offered to choose between open office or not. Some guy decided it and imposed it to you.

Re: Why Standing Desks Are Overrated

#125

Post by Forbo »

projectramo wrote: post #60

I think I see the problem here (with the comments). The main problem is that in order to claim something is "overrated", you have to have some idea of the "rating." So perhaps most of the other commenters were enlightened and knew exactly what the benefits were. Not me. Like (perhaps) the author, I thought sitting is really, really bad for you: for your heart, for your long term mobility, for your health. And that st…

Your comment reminds me of the narrator's struggle to define "Quality" in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Re: Why Standing Desks Are Overrated

#130

Post by waterhouse »

m104 wrote: post #122
closeparen wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Businesses can't seem to admit that they're spending money based on employee preference. There has to be a metrics-driven productivity or healthcare spending argument to justify the budget.

Data helps corporate management avoid personal responsibility, so it's not just "As a leader, I think..." but rather "Look at what the data is telling us to do." Yeah, it sucks.

Hmmph. Couldn't data be "I asked n employees what they thought of x, and y% of them said they strongly approved of the idea"? I once included a statement like that in a complaint about a wrongheaded decision involving company-paid meals, and the decision was subsequently reversed.
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