Forget meditation, Oxford study reveals a smarter way to beat stress and it could supercharge your productivity

For years, stress management advice has revolved around self-care — think meditation apps, massages and mindfulness routines. But new evidence suggests that turning inward might not be the most effective way to cope. Instead, channeling stress energy outward, particularly through helping others, could deliver far greater benefits.

A 2024 study published in the Industrial Relations Journal by William J. Fleming of the University of Oxford found that popular workplace wellness initiatives like mindfulness training, resilience coaching, and stress management programs showed little to no improvement in employee well-being across a sample of over 46,000 UK workers. Surprisingly, the only initiative linked with measurable positive effects was volunteering and charity work.

The paradox of stress relief programs
The research calls into question the billions spent annually by employers on individual-level wellness programs. While workers are encouraged to download apps or attend relaxation workshops, Fleming’s study revealed that participants in these initiatives reported no better well-being than those who skipped them. In some cases, employees in resilience or stress management training even reported feeling more time pressure.

According to a report from CNBC Make It, this aligns with concerns that wellness schemes often shift responsibility onto the individual — implying stress is a personal failing rather than a structural problem of work culture. Critics argue this approach risks making employees feel worse when the promised benefits fail to materialize.

Why helping others may hold the key
So what does work? Both Fleming’s findings and physiological research point to a social solution. When stressed, the body doesn’t just release cortisol and adrenaline, but also oxytocin — the so-called “bonding hormone” that drives humans to connect and support each other. In practice, this means stress is best managed not in isolation, but in community.

The Oxford study found volunteering opportunities stood out as the one program that consistently improved workers’ sense of belonging and purpose. Simple acts — mentoring a colleague, covering for someone in crisis, or engaging in local charity work — were shown to buffer stress and even boost engagement at work.

Stress as fuel, not failure
As per the CNBC Make It report, experts now suggest adopting what some call “stress springboarding”: using the restless energy of stress not to retreat but to act. That could mean turning workplace anxiety into team support, or personal overwhelm into community service. The science backs it up: brain imaging studies show helping others activates reward centers and calms stress-related regions.

What this means for workers and employers
The message is clear: stress isn’t just an individual battle. Employers hoping to foster healthier workplaces may want to shift investment away from meditation apps and resilience courses, and toward opportunities for collective purpose — whether volunteering, mentoring, or team-based problem solving.

As Fleming concludes in his report, organizational changes that ease job demands and build shared resources are far more effective than isolated self-care routines. The next time stress strikes, the research suggests, the most powerful cure may not be found in solitude but in service.