Physio-Cognitive Fatigue Loop in Digital Office Work

Abstract

Digital office work increasingly combines prolonged screen exposure with multitasking and time pressure, sustaining cognitive demand and enabling progressive cognitive fatigue. The objective of this article is to systematically analyze evidence on (a) digital office work characteristics and (b) cognitive fatigue indicators and mechanisms, and (c) to incorporate the analysis into a model “Physio-Cognitive Fatigue Loop in Digital Office Work” and its conceptualization. Scientific literature search has been done in Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed (2010 - 2026) databases and have been complemented by backward citation tracking. Studies of adult office/display-based work have been included if they reported behavioural or objective cognitive-fatigue indicators (e.g., reaction time, errors, executive-control measures) and/or explicit fatigue mechanisms. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, records have been screened and thematically synthesized. Across study designs, prolonged time-on-task, interruption load and task switching have been consistently associated with attention degradation, reduced executive control (conflict control/response inhibition) and increased performance variability. Within the article’s scope, the proposed model provides a clear evidence-based structure that links modifiable digital work characteristics to core cognitive fatigue indicators and emphasizes the practical value of combining exposure metrics (duration, interruptions/switching) with sensitive cognitive outcomes and brief state ratings to detect early fatigue escalation.

Keywords: Digital Work, Cognitive Fatigue, Digital Work, Office, Physical Fatigue

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007938