American Work Is Becoming Less Physical Intense, So American Weight Is Rising

By historical standards, contemporary Americans consume relatively few calories on a daily basis. But of course for the vast majority of human history, an overwhelming share of people were engaged in constant intense physical labor. Running a pre-mechanization farm is hard work. Carrying water is hard work. Splitting wood is hard work. Hand-washing clothing without the benefit of running water is hard work. Etc. And as Tara Parker-Pope notes, the move to post-industrial production only accelerates the trend:

A sweeping review of shifts in the labor force since 1960 suggests that a sizable portion of the national weight gain can be explained by declining physical activity during the workday. Jobs requiring moderate physical activity, which accounted for 50 percent of the labor market in 1960, have plummeted to just 20 percent.

The remaining 80 percent of jobs, the researchers report, are sedentary or require only light activity. The shift translates to an average decline of about 120 to 140 calories a day in physical activity, closely matching the nation's steady weight gain over the past five decades, according to the report, published Wednesday in the journal PLoS One.

It's probably a mistake to look at this through a narrow "weight gain" lens. But it's a reminder that sitting all day at a desk is not really a longstanding human practice. I expect we'll see more and more experimentation with standing desks, those weird inflatable balls I know some people sit on, etc., and that kind of work will lead to health gains.