Actor Brian Cox says ‘move for your mind’ to avoid work mental health ‘killer’

Actor Brian Cox has warned people to “move for your mind” in order to avoid mental health issues brought on by “killer” desks in the workplace.

Playing the role of a tough boss in a new advert for sportswear company Asics, the 78-year-old tells viewers that “I’m not the deadliest thing in the office” before pointing at the desk in front of him and saying “this is”.

Cox goes on to say “science has shown it can be bad for your mental health” and urges them to run, jump or rollerskate in order to get away from it.

In the new advert, the Scottish actor said: “Hello workers, another long day at the office? Boss being a meanie? Too bad.

“Shut up, listen, I’ve got some important news, it turns out that I’m not the deadliest thing in the office, this is.

“It’s a killer, science has shown it can be bad for your mental health, but I don’t see you running away from it.

“No, your boss has you locked to it for eight, nine, 10 hours a day. Look at you, trading your own mental health for free fruit and a wellness Wednesday, banana anyone?

“F*** the fruit, wake up geniuses, I’m giving you the truth, it’s a trap.

“You need to get away from your desk, run, jump, rollerskate, whatever, I don’t care, just move for your mind.”

A title then appears on screen adding: “Your desk is a danger to your mental health, take a desk break to move your mind.”

During his acting career, Cox has been known for playing tyrannical characters including media mogul Logan Roy in Succession, Nazi leader Hermann Goering in 2000’s historical drama Nuremberg, and corrupt CIA operative Ward Abbott in 2002’s The Bourne Identity and 2004’s The Bourne Supremacy.

Speaking about his appearance in the commercial, Cox said: “I’ve played some pretty intimidating characters in my time but who would have thought a desk could be scarier?

“It’s great to see Asics try and do something about this and encourage people to support their mental health through exercise.

“As I say in the film, run, jump, rollerskate. I don’t care. Just move for your mind.”

A desk break experiment overseen by Dr Brendon Stubbs from King’s College London found when office workers added just 15 minutes of movement into their working day, their mental state improved by 22.5% with participants’ overall state improving from a score of 62 out of 100 to 76 out of 100.

As many as 26,000 people took part in the experiment, which showed taking a daily break for just one week lowered stress levels by 14.7%, boosted productivity by 33.2% and improved focus by 28.6%.

Participants also felt 33.3% more relaxed and 28.6% more calm, while 79.2% of workers said they would be more loyal to their employers if they offered movement breaks.

The Asics advert is timed to air ahead of World Mental Health Day on Thursday, October 10, and comes after the company introduced a desk break clause into its contracts allowing office workers to take a daily break for their mental wellbeing.

On World Mental Health Day Asics will donate £5 to mental health charity Mind for every employee who shares an image of their empty desk while taking a break.