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Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been stuck indoors. Online classes and working from home mean a lot of sitting around on your butt.

We already know that if we don’t move much, we get fatter, we get heart problems and maybe we get diabetes (糖尿病). But new studies have shown that it could hurt our mental (心理的) health too.

A study of 1020 Brazilian adults during the pandemic found that about 30% of them sat around for more than 10 hours per day. It reported that people who sat for too long often showed more symptoms of depression (抑郁的症状).

Another study looked at children. It found that each extra hour of sitting time at ages 12, 14 and 16 led to higher depression scores by age 18. Eighteen-year-old people who sat most often had depression scores 28 % higher than those who were more active.

Scientists are not sure yet about the link between too much sitting and depression. But according to Mats Hallgren from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, “Sitting for too long can slow blood flow in the body, including blood flow to the brain.” It might also affect the growth of neurons (神经细胞) in the brain. And couch potatoes might do other unhealthy things while sitting, such as snacking on junk food. All these may lead to depression.

The good news? It’s easy to overcome (克服). Aaron Kandola from University College London, UK, said “all types” of movement might help, even light activity.

“It is great to exercise and play sports,” said Kandola. “But anything you can do to avoid sitting for too long will help with mood, stress and thinking clearly.” The key message is just to move more, more often.