Relax!
“You know, when you study for a PhD you can spend a lot of time behind a computer. This can cause quite a bit of neck pain. Having a massager around your neck when you are working is actually nice for a change, and helps to lower or prevent the pain that you experience from sitting behind a desk for a long time every day. It gets really nice and warm after a while, very comfortable!”
Many people spend time working behind a desk, looking at a computer screen for a large part of the day. Many aspects of our life have been digitized: we send messages through our phones to each other, read books on tablets, and for students, classes and everything school-related has also been conducted online in the past year. Our way of life is only possible due to the technological advancements that came before us.
This PhD-student came to the Netherlands during a time when the whole world was suffering from the effects of a global pandemic. Many people had to work from home, or attend classes online. Time spent behind computer screens has increased even more. Teachers who would normally see their students walk in every day now only saw their faces in a small corner of their screen.
With people starting to work from home, the idea of a good home office also became more important. The Dutch government even published guidelines about what makes a home-workspace ergonomic.
This device helps in creating a more comfortable work-from-home situation. You can just put it around your neck and it will gently massage it. In China, the massage apparatus is promoted within the “996” culture, which is the working culture consisting of a 6-day workweek, from 09:00 till 21:00 everyday, which many office workers in China have.
Afterwards, she gave it to us to test for a second, and actually, it was quite nice to have an object to relieve your aches. Perhaps I should also consider buying one.