Sitting all day is terrible for us. Moving a little can help episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 7, 2026 · 18 MIN

Sitting all day is terrible for us. Moving a little can help

from Science Friday · host Manoush Zomorodi, Kathleen Davis, Flora Lichtman

Keeping your butt in a seat for hours a day increases the risk of heart attacks, diabetes, psychiatric conditions, and more. But in our tech-filled world, many of us lead sedentary lives, whether because of school, work, or leisure. Researchers set up an experiment to see how much movement would make a difference for people who spend their days at a desk—and 23,000 people signed up. Joining Flora to tell us what they found is tech journalist Manoush Zomorodi, author of “Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being.” Read an excerpt of “Body Electric.” Guest:  Manoush Zomorodi is host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour and author of “Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being.” Other episodes you may enjoy: 8.5 Hours Of Daily Sitting Linked To Higher BMI And Cholesterol How Is Screen Time Affecting My Kid? The transcript for this episode is available at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 7, 2026

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Modern life involves a lot of sitting and staring at screens, and that takes a toll. Can moving for 5 minutes make a difference?

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Sitting all day is terrible for us. Moving a little can help

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