BRAINOMICS BULLETIN
Open Printable PDFAt Center for BrainHealth, one of the first strategies we give people for better brain performance is to take five-minute brain breaks throughout the day. A true brain break means pausing intake of new information – it’s not chatting with coworkers or scrolling the news. Instead, it’s about letting go of focused attention. What that looks like can take many forms: breathing, walking, gazing out a window, resting your head, or simply closing your eyes.
Short breaks allow the mind to wander, helping downregulate stress and recharge mental energy.2 Many workers feel pressured by job demands and fear losing momentum, choosing to power through instead of take periodic breaks.3 However, neuroscience shows that being constantly locked in on work leads to fatigue, distraction and poorer decision-making. Still, you might be thinking: “Five minutes of doing nothing? Multiple times each day? I have too much to get done.”
But what if we show you that brief breaks actually translate into economic benefit?
- SUSTAINED PERFORMANCE: Breaks reduce cognitive load, helping to prevent decision fatigue and mistakes. This translates to sustained output and less time and money spent correcting errors.
- HIGHER INNOVATION: During periods of rest, the brain’s Default Mode Network becomes more active, quietly working in the background. Even a five-minute incubation period increases innovative capacity, helping solve problems and generate new ideas.4,5
- FASTER LEARNING AND UPSKILLING: Short intervals of rest boost memory consolidation.6 Breaks help individuals learn and retain new information more quickly, cutting costs of training (and retraining) and fueling bumps in creativity, helping employees do more with what they know.
- REDUCED ATTRITION AND STRONGER WORKPLACE CULTURE: Employees who take breaks feel less drained and more autonomous. In turn, this lowers turnover and increases motivation, helping to build a healthier, more resilient work environment.
