When I was part of corporate American, that was me. For some reason, I felt I would score more points with my higher ups, prove my own self worth, and secure a place in heaven by not taking my lunch break. Perhaps I viewed leaving one’s desk to have lunch as a weakness, meant for a lesser employee–you know, someone with a less stringent work ethic than me. I viewed myself as self-effacing, willing to take one for the team, overlook my personal needs for the greater good–in short: I was just plain better.

Wrong. I was just in the majority of people who may have shared those same falsehoods. Two thirds of American workers who have a choice about taking their lunch breaks, choose to stay at their desks and work through them. It’s become somewhat of a common belief, according to think tanks that study these types of corporate patterns, Boston College being one of them. According to the Center for Work and Family, the reasons stem from an increase in workloads, the ever-present fear of losing one’s job and the overall belief that workers need to do more with less.

Psychologists point to the need and benefits that come from a break in one’s work day, including the obvious such as reducing stress, rejuvenating and stemming fatigue. According to US World and News Report, a lunch break actually makes your more productive.

Chew on that at lunchtime.