When it comes to lowering stress at work, studies from around the world have yielded a set of five tips with advice ______ from having a nap at your desk to taking your pet to work.

The first tip highlighted by New Science magazine is that workers should be sociable—but not too sociable. British research has shown that ______ is good for health, with a study of thousands of civil servants revealing that moral ______ from colleagues, encouragement from supervisors and clear direction from bosses kept stress levels ______ . Male civil servants who ______ support in the workplace were 31 percent more likely to suffer from ______ and depression, and women 43 percent. ______ , too much socializing could lead to work piling up.

The second tip is to ensure your surroundings are as ______ as possible. Simply being able to see your colleagues makes the working day much more ______ and the height of partitions dividing up office space affects stress level. ______ , the higher the partition is, the more people complain about noise from their neighbours. Research from the University of Montreal shows that the optimum partition height is 1.3 metres—high enough to provide ______ but low enough to ensure staff do not feel ______ .

The third piece of advice for works is to learn to switch off. Mobile phones and other ______ equipment should be switched off after hours of working to allow burnt-out brain cells to recharge.

The fourth piece of advice for workers is to take a nap at your desk every day, which is very easy to do.

Playing with a cat or a dog can also ______ relaxation and if workers can persuade their boss to let them into the office then the day will ______.