Or maybe we're just gluttons for punishment...

"Though coworkers may grumble at the water cooler about an overabundance of meetings, recent research indicates many people secretly crave the order meetings bring to their day. A study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte queried 980 workers and found that 65% felt that routine gatherings helped them feel more included in the office environment, says lead researcher Steven G. Rogelberg, Ph.D., an industrial and organizational psychologist. Meetings also helped fulfill workers' need for social interaction during the day. "Given how much time employees spend in them, properly conducted meetings--with well-defined and relevant objectives--may be important to health and well-being at work," Rogelberg says."

From Cooking Light Magazine, September 2006