TAP reading note: "Give me a break!" A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of micro-breaks for increasing well-being and performance
Micro-breaks produced small average improvements in vigor and fatigue. The pooled effect on overall performance was not statistically significant, so feeling better and performing better should be reported separately.
Updated 2026-10-27 · Archived
The scientific content and references belong to this edition. The complete captured record is available to download below; later corrections appear in subsequent editions. Website design and interactive software are not archived here.
What the study found
Micro-breaks produced small average improvements in vigor and fatigue. The pooled effect on overall performance was not statistically significant, so feeling better and performing better should be reported separately.
Scope & limitations
19 records yielding 22 independent samples (2,335 participants); outcome-specific samples differ.
Tasks, break activities and measures differed across studies. Findings primarily concern short-term vigor, fatigue and performance; optimal schedules require task-specific investigation.
Population & sample
19 records yielding 22 independent samples (2,335 participants); outcome-specific samples differ.
Exposure or intervention
Breaks of up to ten minutes in experimental and quasi-experimental studies.
Outcomes
Vigor, fatigue and performance analyzed separately. The overall performance analysis used 15 samples and 1,132 participants.
Time frame
Short-term break outcomes in literature searched through April 2021; no common long-term follow-up.
Research funding
Andrei Rusu reported support from the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, CNCS–UEFISCDI, project PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2019-2032.
Research conflicts of interest
The authors declared no competing interests.
Reading scope
Based on the publication’s text, including Abstract, Results, limitations and funding/competing-interest statements.
References
Publication record
TAP-RDN-0023 · v0.2 · English
The Allostasis Project is founded and supported by Resilio.
Record for v0.2 · Updated
Editorial responsibility: TAP Editorial Team
Editorial note
Under the editorial responsibility of the TAP Editorial Team, this publication used AI assistance for content organization and editing.
Download detailed editorial record (JSON) ↓
How responsibilities and review are recorded ↗© The Allostasis Project. All rights reserved. Reproduction or adaptation requires separate permission, subject to applicable legal exceptions.