“While further research is needed, the findings raise questions about whether the negative associations with fidgeting, such as rudeness or lack of concentration, should persist if such simple movements are beneficial,” she added.

The harmful effects of sitting for too long - even if you're active outside of work - have been well documented, with studies finding it can increase your risk of diabetes, cardiovascular events, death caused by cardiovascular events and death from any cause.

It's estimated that many adults in the UK spend more than seven hours a day sitting down, and that the amount increases with age to 10 hours or more.

This prompted the government to issue new guidelines in 2011, recommending breaking up long periods of time with "shorter bouts of activity for just one to two minutes" and getting up every 30 minutes.

Constantly fidgeting? This is why it's a good thing