SynthesisPloS one2022
"Give me a break!" A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of micro-breaks for increasing well-being and performance.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Impact of Intraoperative Ergonomic Microbreaks on Surgeons' Well-Being and Performance: A Systematic Review.World journal of surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Promoting relaxation through essential oil-enhanced digital hypnotherapy: A randomized controlled trial.Psychological medicine · 2026Trial
- Round34: Attending-Moderated Tabletop Gameplay to Enhance Resident Team Dynamics During Inpatient Rounds.Journal of graduate medical education · 2026Trial
- The relationship between circadian type and physical activity as predictors of cognitive performance during simulated nightshifts: A randomised controlled trial.Chronobiology international · 2025Trial
- Interrupting sitting with moderate-intensity physical activity breaks improves cognitive processing speed in adults with overweight and obesity: Findings from the SITLess pilot randomized crossover trial.International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology · 2025Trial
- The Physical Activity at Work (PAW) Program in Thai Office Workers: Mixed Methods Process Evaluation Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Trial
- Effects of Physical Exercise Breaks on Executive Function in a Simulated Classroom Setting: Uncovering a Window into the Brain.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Trial
- Effects of meditation or walking as a microbreak on fatigue recovery during simulated air traffic control tasks.Industrial health · 2026Article
- Yoga therapy for mental resilience in technology-driven occupational settings: A qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis.Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine · 2026Review
- "It's Not Just a Pause": A Qualitative Exploration of Micro-Breaks Among Clinical Nurses.Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing · 2026Article
- When to Take a Break: Comparing Effects of Systematic Short (Pomodoro) and Self-Regulated Breaks on Subjective Experience and Actual Learning.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Science Is About Thinking: How Can We Protect Thinking Time in a Distracted Digital World?Brain sciences · 2026Review
- When Gig Work Gets Ruff: The Affective Benefits of Daily Human-Animal Interactions for Mental Health.International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie · 2026Article
- Response conflicts in visually guided movements under mental fatigue.Psychological research · 2026Article
- How is wakeful rest operationalized and measured in daily life among adults with and without long-term conditions? A systematic scoping review.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- More than a free snack: benefits of mobilized resources and socialization for pediatric healthcare workers.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- From development to implementation through a RE-AIM lense: lessons learned from a qualitative process evaluation of workplace health promotion workshops in long-term care.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Acute effects of ultra-short aerobic and resistance, yoga-based mobility, and mindfulness meditation sessions on mental health: a randomized online study.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Do micro-breaks between study sessions enhance Chinese university students' learning concentration?Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Differences in chronic musculoskeletal pain among male and female Brazilian university professors.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Recovery activities during short breaks taken between work tasks are solutions for preventing the impairing effects of accumulated strain. No wonder then that a growing body of scientific literature from various perspectives emerged on this topic. The present meta-analysis is aimed at estimating the efficacy of micro-breaks in enhancing well-being (vigor and fatigue) and performance, as well as in which conditions and for whom are the micro-breaks most effective. We searched the existent literature on this topic and aggregated the existing data from experimental and quasi-experimental studies. The systematic search revealed 19 records, which resulted in 22 independent study samples (N = 2335). Random-effects meta-analyses shown statistically significant but small effects of micro-breaks in boosting vigor (d = .36, p < .001; k = 9, n = 913), reducing fatigue (d = .35, p < .001; k = 9, n = 803), and a non-significant effect on increasing overall performance (d = .16, p = .116; k = 15, n = 1132). Sub-groups analyses on performance types revealed significant effects only for tasks with less cognitive demands. A meta-regression showed that the longer the break, the greater the boost was on performance. Overall, the data support the role of micro-breaks for well-being, while for performance, recovering from highly depleting tasks may need more than 10-minute breaks. Therefore, future studies should focus on this issue.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.