How good posture can power-up your life
Social Psychologist Dana Carney was the first to study the effects of “power poses” — you know, those stances that make you feel like Superman or Superwoman with your head high, shoulders back and hands on hips. External underwear optional.
The study found that even if a person didn’t feel confident on the inside, pulling a power pose triggered the release of hormones like testosterone that contribute to self-assuredness and a reduction in stress hormones like cortisol. Go on, try it in your next job interview or corporate meeting.
Change your body, change your mind
The position of your body can also affect how you think. For example, nodding “yes” while listening to new information leads you to form a more favourable opinion on the matter as opposed to shaking your head for “no”, which might make you subconsciously disagree. Similarly, sitting up straight makes you more likely to have positive thoughts and recall good times than when you’re (literally) in a slump.
The link between posture and brain power
Studies have found a link between posture, confidence and problem-solving ability. For example, 125 students were asked to subtract seven from 964 (serially) for 30 seconds. Half sat straight and tall. The other half slouched. Then they swapped positions and repeated the exercise, this time subtracting seven from 834.
Interestingly, students who loved maths and saw the challenge as “easy” performed just about the same regardless of posture. But when it came to those teens who weren’t so keen on arithmetic and felt intimidated by the task, they found it much easier and performed better in an upright position.
Slouching compromises your lung capacity by as much as 30%! So it makes sense that students enjoyed increased concentration while sitting up straight, maximising oxygen available to the brain. (Pull your shoulders back and tuck your chin slightly as you’re reading this and see if you can feel the difference in how deeply you can breathe. We bet you can!)
A matter of perception
The effect of good posture doesn’t stop at how you feel on the inside; it translates into how people see you too.
Humans are hardwired to make automatic judgments to avoid spending oodles of energy assessing everyone. And even though it’s a good idea to stop and reflect on the assumptions you’re making about others (because more often than not, they’re way off) it doesn’t stop people from doing it to you.
Posture is a huge factor in how you’re perceived, and could mean the difference between a new boss writing you off as a slacker (shoulders hunched, head down, spine rounded) or a capable go-getter (shoulders back and wide, chest out and head tall). It’s not you, it’s your posture!
On the straight and narrow
If you’d like even more reasons to sit up straight, read our article “Six Unexpected Ways Poor Posture Affects Your Life” and back it up with our short and snappy primer on what good posture looks like.
But it’s not all about beating up on yourself for having “bad” posture, you know. While telling yourself to relax those shoulders, tuck that tummy, plant your feet flat and pull in your chin is a great habit to get into, chiropractic care will naturally realign your spine and improve your posture, taking the pressure off you.
Every time you have a chiropractic adjustment, it’s improving your alignment. In fact, posture is one of our main markers of progress and the ultimate indication that your spine (and nervous system, and whole-body) is on the right track. We document changes in postural alignment to see just how far you’ve come, giving you peace of mind that someone else is looking out for your posture as well: a chiropractor!
We love helping our members adopt and maintain powerful, confident and healthful stances, so don’t hesitate to ask us about all things posture next time you’re at Spinecare.