E-mail, Decisional Styles, and Rest Breaks

Baker, J.R. & Phillips, J.G. (2007). E-mail, Decisional Styles, and Rest Breaks. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(5): 705-708.

Abstract:

E-mail is a common but problematic work application. A scale was created to measure tendencies to use e-mail to take breaks (e-breaking); and self-esteem and decisional style (vigilance, procrastination, buck-passing, hypervigilance) were used to predict the self-reported and actual e-mail behaviors of 133 participants (students and marketing employees). Individuals who were low in defensive avoidance (buck-passing) engaged in more e-mailing per week, both in time spent on e-mail and message volume. E-breakers were more likely to engage in behavioral procrastination and spent more time on personal e-mail.