Stand up and count

Today in a book called In Praise of Walking by Shane O'Mara I came across an explanation of why I naturally get up and walk when on the telephone in deep discussion. It referenced the Stroop Effect in tests of cognitive function and further work by Rosenbaum of the effective of standing on performance of this test. The finding was that "the mere act of standing mobilises cognitive and neural resources that would otherwise remain quiescent". More recent research has confirmed that walking increases blood flow through the brain and mobilises greater neurocognitive resources. It seems that being mobile mobilises your brain as well as your body.

Does this also explain why standing up in meetings is productive and why Daily Stand-ups have become popular and are part of modern agile methods? It seems that there is more to it than simply stopping people falling asleep or getting distracted by their laptops in meetings. The science tells us that the very act of standing up increases our cognitive abilities.

And it is not just daily stand-ups where this works. Think of your workshops that were the most productive - it is likely that teams were on their feet, crowded around display boards, interacting with each other and their boards in an energetic way. Teams sitting around a table tend to be less engaged, creative or productive.?

Got some deep thinking to do? Going for a walk can often help me. Or in the office, putting some prompting materials on a white board and meandering around in front of them, perhaps also creating amendments and additions by hand. You (and your team) are far more likely to come up with answers when standing than stuck in your chairs.?

So, in seeking to maximise the effect of any activity where cognitive function is important, we should design in as much standing or walking as possible. Yes, there will be challenges - some team members may not be able to stand for any length of time or may use a wheelchair - but for most it seems that it is a challenge worth navigating by using creative approaches to meetings, workshops, and telephone calls ... or even moving to a standing up desk!

What is your experience of the impact of movement on thinking??

Footnote: The Stroop effect is the delay in reaction time between congruent and incongruent stimuli. A typical test asks participants to record simple visual word / colour incongruities whilst also spotting particular words in a spoken recording. Rosenbaum recorded a reversal of the Stroop effect simply by standing up.