How to Make the Most of Your Lunch Hour

Should you grab a bite at your desk or eat with your colleagues? That depends on what's on your agenda for the rest of the day.

Lunch hours are getting shorter and shorter, and even disappearing in some parts of today's working world. With fewer employees asked to accomplish more in a day, many Americans treat lunch not as a break but as just another task to squeeze into an already over-booked day. But do quick meals at the desk actually improve productivity leisurely meals?According to the latest study published in the journal PLOS ONE, they could help you to get more done.

The researchers only studied 32 employees, so the findings are debatable. But when they assigned one group to eat at their desks and another to dine with a colleague at a restaurant,they found that those who ate lunch together showed a decline in their performance on tests that measured concentration, memory and the ability catch errors and read emotions in facial expressions following lunch than before lunch. Both groups ate the same meals, but those who ate alone were only given 20 minutes to consume their food, while the paired participants were allowed one hour in the restaurant. Those who ate alone did not have as large a drop in their cognitive processing as those who ate in the restaurant.

What was responsible for the change? There were too many variables at play to determine which had the strongest influence on cognitive control — was it the companionship, or was it the music played in the restaurant and the meal served by wait staff, or was it the longer time to enjoy the meal?

Whichever factor was responsible, however, the group that took a restaurant lunch break came back more relaxed,say the authors, and that likely affected their cognitive sharpness.Sharing a meal outside the office with a friend appears to have calming effect, and while it reduces intellectual skills, it could foster social harmony and teamwork, which may be an important feature of some work tasks. But don't feel sorry for the lone lunchers. It turns out that since they were able to maintain their cognitive skills following the meal, they might be in a better position to think creatively for projects that require more innovative solutions or approaches.

The Feel-Good Shoebox

Catherine sat on her bed with her chin in her hands. “Why aren't you getting ready for Grandma's birthday party?”asked Mother.

“I can't bake like Sylvia or knit like Anne,” Catherine grumbled. “They made good presents. All I made for her is an ugly card.” “It's a lovely card. And no one can be good at everything,” said Mother. She sat on the bed next to Catherine. “When I was your age, I felt sad when I couldn't do certain things. But one day Grandma showed me the shoebox game, and it made me feel a lot better.” Catherine frowned （皱眉）. “How can a shoebox make me feel better？”“You＇ll see，” said Mother. She disappeared down the hall, then came back carrying a shoe box, a pencil, paper, and scissors.

Catherine watched as Mother cut several pieces of paper into squares. “Nôw, I want you to write down all the things you can do,” said Mother. “Like what?” asked Catherine. “Why not start with things you've learned in school? Give it some thought while I ice Grandma's birthday cake.”

Catherine sat for a while wrinkling （起皱纹） and unwrinkling her eyebrows.Slowly Catherine began to write and write. Before long she had written on every square of paper. She was so busy that she didn't hear Mother come into the room.“My goodness!"said Mother.“Do you think they'll all fit in the shoebox?”“I hope so,” said Catherine. “It was fun thinking of all the stuff I can do.”“And the next time you feel sad because you can't do something, your feel-good shoebox will remind you of how much you can do-just as mine did when I was a little girl,” said Mother,“Now let's finish getting dressed for Grandma's party.”

I was walking along the road to school one day and I met my friend Raine. He suggested that we skip school and go to the movies. I refused as my dad was very fierce and strict. After much persuasion, I gave in. There was a Will Smith movie on and I was a fan.

So we set off to the movies together, bought our tickets, popcorn and drinks and settled down comfortably. As we were early, the lights were still on. We watched people come in groups, families and there were couples too. Some of them looked like school students playing truant（逃学）like us. As I turned around, I caught a glimpse of my uncle Andy and Aunt Jane walking in. They were kind and cared about me very much. I sank into my seat quickly to avoid being spotted. I signaled to Raine that there was someone I didn’t want to see and Raine made it more obvious by turning around and asking “Who? And where?” loudly. It made me sit even lower in my seat.

To make things worse, they came and sat in the row behind us and were saying to each other how I would have loved to come to this movie as I adored Will Smith. They were even commenting about the students playing truant. Soon the movie began and I was glad when the lights were turned off but I didn’t enjoy the movie at all for fear of being spotted. So, I sat there like an astronaut, peering over the front seat.

Every now and then I would secretly take a quick look at my aunt and uncle. I was sure they were also looking at me. Feeling nervous and anxious, I kept wondering how I could leave the cinema without being noticed.

When the movie ended and the lights came on, I remained seated.

In front of us were my aunt and uncle, waiting at the gate.