Corporate chair massage has gained in popularity in recent years, however, many employers are still unaware of the many benefits that this modality can offer to their staff members. Corporate chair massage has been shown in many studies to reduce anxiety and overall stress levels in recipients, as well as to increase alertness and speed and accuracy of math computations.
As anxiety and stress reduction are the most well known effects of chair massage, it will be the first benefit discussed here. One study published in The Complimentary Therapies in Clinical Practice Journal provided nurses with on site chair massages at a hospital during their shifts. Each nurse received 15 minute massages weekly. At the end of the study, the nurses reported lowered anxiety and stress levels using a self-assessment questionnaire.
Another study published in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science correlates these results with a similar study. In this study, one group received chair massages while a control group of individuals received a break instead of massage therapy, and they were both tested for anxiety levels after the study. The results of this study showed a significant decrease in anxiety and stress levels for the massage group, whereas the control group did not experience a similar reduction in stress.
One of the lesser known effects of massage therapy is its ability to enhance alertness and sharpen mental faculties. One study, published in the International Journal of Neuroscience set out to determine whether massage therapy enhanced alertness and the ability to do math computations.
Two groups of adults participated in the study. The first group was given chair massage twice a week for five weeks, while the control group was allowed to relax in the massage chair for fifteen minutes at the same frequency. The two groups were given math computations to do both before and after their respective sessions. Both groups were tested for EEG patterns of mental alertness, speed and accuracy of math computations, as well as depression, anxiety, and stress levels.
The results of the study showed that the massage group had enhanced alertness and increased speed and accuracy on math computations. The control group remained the same for math computations. The massage group experienced reduced anxiety levels, reduced cortisol levels, as well as reduced job stress on self reported questionnaires while the control group did not experience these effects.
As an employer of a large or small staff of people, you may be wondering what these studies mean for you. Employers and the public at large have become aware in recent years that stress and anxiety lead to lower productivity. This applies both in home life as well as in work life.
Thus, employees with less stress have higher work output, as well as greater accuracy in their work output. As these studies have shown, even short duration chair massage sessions significantly decrease stress and anxiety levels. Employees who are less stressed are more productive, and they are also more accurate and less prone to errors in their work.
The last study that I discussed shows this even more clearly. Math computations can be a reflection of any type of work that requires thought and care, from entering data on a computer to creating spreadsheets and performing bookkeeping tasks, among other activities.
Since this study showed that accuracy and speed of math computations was increased following chair massage, these results can be extrapolated and applied to the workplace, where employees who receive regular chair massages are likely to be much more productive and accurate in addition to being less stressed. Every business should be concerned about their bottom line, and the studies and results shown here should help employers to realize that the addition of a chair massage program at work is a cost effective way to increase the capacity of their staff members, as well as boost morale and reduce stress and anxiety levels.
For more information, click here to view a chair massage blog posted on our website
You can view the details of the studies by visiting the studies page on our website. Click here to be directed to that page
© Copyright 2013 H Miller
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