According to Herman Miller’s research, an office chair can have an effect on how hard your heart has to work throughout an average workday. A decreased heart rate is linked to two benefits:

• Lower risk of cardiovascular disease over a person’s lifetime
• Better concentration (possibly due to more efficient circulation and oxygenation)

These days, many workers sit for extended periods of time (a lifestyle that significantly increases the risk of heart disease). Herman Miller set out to discover if they could design a chair that might make a dent in this risk and lead to better health and productivity. According to a small test of about 30 users, the Emody chair did show a measurable result compared to a standard office chair.

Participants had slower heart rates when sitting on the Embody. Men showed a greater degree of response than women and heavier users experienced a more dramatic heart rate decrease than smaller users. You can read the full report on how the experiment was conducted, its results, and Herman Miller’s conclusions here. Just remember that even the best, most ergonomic office chairs are not a substitute for regular exercise!