Upright body posture improves decision making and human emotions

A person's posture appears to affect their emotions and decision-making ability more than they realize, according to new research from McGill University. In a recent study, participants sitting upright performed better at a risk-taking task and reported more positive feelings than did their peers in the slouching or control groups.

Though the effects were modest and observed in a laboratory setting, the results highlight the body's influence on our mood and behavior, said Jorge Armony, professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at McGill and senior author of the study.

A cover story to influence body position

Armony and graduate student Soren Wainio-Theberge, who originated the idea for the research and is a co-author of the paper, recruited nearly 200 participants from the McGill community.

After some initial testing on a computer monitor, they asked them to complete a new task on a tablet, under the guise of testing a mobile application. For some, the tablet was positioned on a stand on an adjustable table, to encourage an upright posture while sitting. For others, it was placed flat on the desk, which was also positioned at a lower setting, prompting participants to hunch over.

Participants then completed a risk-taking test, in which players can earn rewards by inflating a virtual balloon, but risk losing everything if it bursts. Over the course of the task, participants in the upright posture took greater risks and tended to earn greater rewards.

This suggests they were not acting more impulsively but rather were engaging in more effective risk-taking."

Jorge Armony, Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University

In the accompanying questionnaire, participants in the upright group also reported significantly higher feelings of pride, which is associated with a positive mood.

Bringing new insight to posture research

The findings shed light on the long-debated notion that the body's posture can influence the mind.

The McGill team tested this relationship while avoiding concerns associated with previous studies.

The researchers avoided telling subjects which posture to adopt, but, rather, influenced their choice without their knowledge. This helped address a common criticism of earlier "power pose" research: that results may simply reflect that participants responded to researchers' expectations. In post-experiment interviews, most participants indicated that they were unaware their posture had been manipulated.

The researchers also used video software to measure neck angle as a benchmark for posture conformity. In previous studies, this had not often been measured.

The findings do not mean that changing posture can dramatically transform a person's life, Armony cautioned, but it does raise interesting questions about whether everyday features of our environment – such as workplace ergonomics – can subtly influence mood and behavior.