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Dear all,

We are having computer problems here and every once in a while someone
suffers a computer crash that manages to lose an important file completely.
A colleague of mine became very stressed about one such loss just a short
while ago.

The other night I saw a most amusing scene in "The Pure Hell of St.
Trinian's" (a 1966 film that was recently re-released here on DVD) where
public servants were using "music and movement" to alleviate stress. It
showed dark-suited heavily-moustached men in the education department
pirouetting around the room to a pastoral measure (played on a portable
record player – whatever became of those?) and smelling imaginary roses. It
seemed to me to be a lampoon of the "music and movement" fad in the
fifties. It was absolutely hilarious.

They say that there is many a true word in jest. Can "music and movement"
really reduce stress? If so would it be useful for rest pauses or for the
involuntary pauses that computer crashes inflict on us from time to time?

I have been unable to find anything on the web on this topic though I did
find an interesting link to “Music While You Work” at http://www.whirligig-
tv.co.uk/radio/mwyw.htm

Does anyone remember whether “Music While You Work” was supposed to
increase productivity, reduce stress or merely entertain the workers?

I suspect this music at work trend still finds favour with some
occupational therapists but I am not sure whether ergonomists dabble in it.
I once heard (back in the eighties) of an onion-skin theory of ergonomics
that placed a lot of stress on emotional states and social relationships in
the workplace in addition to the more traditional physical design aspects.
Does anyone have any references on this onion-skin view of ergonomics?

Regards,

David.

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