These days many companies employ freelancers or have their employees work remotely, so the old office watercooler break may not be as omnipresent as it once was, but even if you are working at home, you should take a “watercooler break” a few times per day.

While most of us who work from home generally take a quick break to check our emails, post something on Facebook, or watch a funny video on YouTube, but is this sufficient? Do you actually use this time to also drink some much needed water?

According to a University of Michigan study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, taking a break is not just about taking a break – it is also about communicating with others; speaking to someone else, especially a friend or friendly colleague, for just a few minutes will actually boost your memory and ability to suppress distractions.

According to Oscar Ybarra, a psychologist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR) and a lead author of the study with ISR psychologist Eugene Burnstein and psychologist Piotr Winkielman from the University of California, San Diego:

“In our study, socializing was just as effective as more traditional kinds of mental exercise in boosting memory and intellectual performance. We found that short-term social interaction lasting for just 10 minutes boosted participants’ intellectual performance as much as engaging in so-called ‘intellectual’ activities for the same amount of time. To our knowledge, this experiment represents the only causal evidence showing that social interaction directly affects memory and mental performance in a positive way.”

Drinking water around the office water cooler therefore boosts your memory, suppresses distractions, enhances productivity, and impacts positively on the company’s bottom line. Of course it also keeps you healthy and hydrated, so if you do not have a water cooler at your office, ask your boss to get one. If you work at home for yourself, think about investing in a water cooler for your mental and physical health as well as that of your family.