Evidence Is Piling Up That George Costanza Was Right About Sleeping on the Job

Once again, history has vindicated the greatest workplace visionary that television has ever seen — though we’ve thankfully evolved past the need for bomb threats.

Throughout human civilization, the greatest tragedy of the genius has always been his curse to never receive proper appreciation in his time. Vincent van Gogh’s works wouldn’t be considered masterpieces until after his passing. Edgar Allen Poe only became one of literature’s brightest (or darkest) stars post-mortem. And George Costanza, the equivalent of the aforementioned virtuosos in the field of navigating the modern, white-collar office job, wouldn’t see his theories proven correct until decades after the controversial Seinfeld finale.

This week, the Associated Press published its report on a new trend in workplace productivity, interviewing Costanza-converts who take naps during work hours and suggesting that the data could support a sleep-heavy work day. Just remember to set your alarm clocks, and try to pick a ring that doesn’t sound like a ticking bomb.

In one of the more extreme late-season Seinfeld storylines, Season Eight’s “The Nap” saw George develop a routine for sleeping underneath his desk during work hours, only to hit a sleepytime speed bump when Mr. Steinbrenner comes storming in mid-REM cycle. Assuming that George must be temporarily out of the office, Steinbrenner pops a squat and waits for him, forcing George to call an audible and phone Jerry, imploring his friend to call in a fake bomb threat that will evacuate the office.

Now, the AP doesn’t exactly endorse the rest of George’s workplace maneuvers in “The Nap,” but in its article titled, “Devoted Nap-Takers Explain the Benefits of Sleeping on the Job,” they make the case for taking a snooze in the middle of a 9-to-5 by talking to some of the brave believers in the Costanza nap method. “They rejuvenate me in a way that I’m exponentially more useful and constructive and creative on the other side of a nap than I am when I’m forcing myself to gut through being tired,” one such work-sleeper reported.

There are piles and piles of studies that support the idea that a mid-afternoon siesta, in the Spanish fashion, is immensely beneficial to mental performance, and there are “clear cognitive benefits” to even a 15-minute doze. Some companies are taking notice of the positive data, and ice cream giant Ben & Jerry’s even has a dedicated “nap room” in its Vermont headquarters to help its workers recharge. “Employees who feel taken care of are much more likely to use this responsibly,” company spokesman Sean Greenwood told the AP.

In the last year, more and more companies and workers have followed George's example on innumerable workplace practices, and these desk naps are just the latest innovation to take corporate America by storm nearly 30 years after Costanza suffered the consequences of being a trailblazer. 

If Forbes ever puts out an advice article urging individuals who quit their jobs in a rage to come back the next day as if nothing happened, these companies are going to have to start paying Jason Alexander royalties.