Evolution in the Office: How Evolutionary Psychology Can Increase Employee Health, Happiness, and Productivity
Document Type
Article
Subject Area(s)
psychology, social sciences
Abstract
We review the empirical literature that has implemented aspects of our ancestral environment into the workplace and discuss the positive influence these factors have had on employees' physical and psychological health. We focus upon several components of our ancestral environment, including sunlight, greenery, sleep, physical movement, and social interaction with fellow humans as well as animals (specifically, dogs). Employers who are willing to adopt an evolutionary psychological approach to organizing their workplaces may drastically improve their workers' overall physical and psychological health as well as their overall productivity. This will, in turn, decrease employer costs related to medical care, absenteeism, and lack of productivity. Suggestions regarding how to implement these evolutionary psychological methods to the workplace are also discussed.
Publication Info
Published in Evolutionary Psychology, Volume 10, Issue 5, 2012, pages 770-781.
© Author(s). Published by Sage Publishing in Evolutionary Psychology.
Fitzgerald, C. J., & Danner, K. M. (2012). Evolution in the office: How applying evolutionary psychology can increase employee health, happiness, and productivity. Evolutionary Psychology, 10, 770-781.https://doi.org/10.1177/147470491201000502
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