The seven deadly email sins harming our health

REPLY to all is more than annoying, it could be harming your health. Scientists reveal the seven common email actions that could be deadly.

Keeping constantly attached to your emails can put pressure on you and your workmates.

THE average person will bash out 10,000 emails a year.

Like all mediums of communication there's an etiquette to adhere to and the seven worst habits have been identified by psychologist Dr Emma Russell from Kingston Business School in the UK.

She shows that certain email actions are driving us to distraction, harming our health and causing others grief.

So give your workmates a break and identify those bad email habits you practise and stop them now!

MORE: Find out how to undo an email

Reply all chains:

Whether it's a reply to a question sent to the entire office or a joke that gets less funny after each response, these multiplying threads of "ping pong" emails clogging up your inbox are enough to make your brain hurt. Distracting and annoying, the study has found this to be one of the biggest culprits to causing stress.

Replying in company:

Checking your emails and replying when you're in the presence of others ranks up there with putting your feet on public transport seats and speaking too loudly on your mobile phone. According to the research this is detrimental to those in your company as they become vexed. What would your mother say?

Checking emails out of work hours:

You may look diligent to your boss, but by replying when you should be asleep or on holidays shows you cannot switch off. This puts pressure on other staff members to be permanently on call so they can respond to you.

Keeping constantly attached to your emails can put pressure on you and your workmates.

The out of office:

The out of office reply that pings into your inbox each time a group message is sent has been found to be tedious, annoying and frustrating to others. And while we're going down the route of email sins, reading a "comical" message about how you're sipping Pina Coladas in the sun so you can't reply while we're stuck in the office gets more infuriating with each read.

Responding immediately to an email:

Firing off a quick response might seem like an on-the-ball thing to do but evidently this behaviour could lead to the risk of the sender losing control. A thought-out, well-composed response is far more beneficial than kneejerk responses, which could emit vital information and the wrong tone.

Ignoring emails:

We might think it gives us a bit of breathing space but turning a blind eye to emails is more stressful according to the study. It's like leaving the washing up - soon it'll pile up and kick up a stink. Deal with it and relax.

Requesting read receipts:

Asking the recipient of your email to confirm they've seen it is another way to stress out your colleagues. These read receipts put pressure on the beneficiaries to take action immediately. Back off, it's better for all of us.

What do you find most annoying about email? Tell us in the comments below.