Unless some misfortune has made it impossible, everyone can have good posture. -Loretta Young
Straighten out your image by learning to stand up straight! -Beth Kuhel
As a kid I vividly recall my mother reminding me to “stand up straight”, “sit-up tall” and her occasionally scoffing at me for slouching. Her interest in having me stand erect was coming from her motherly intuition that this was a sign of good physical health and healthy self-esteem. There’s a lot of research that indicates my mom was correct. Medical research shows that having good posture affects your breathing, improves circulation, lung capacity and digestion. In a recent report in Science Daily, researchers found that people who were told to sit up straight were more likely to believe thoughts they wrote down while in that posture concerning whether they were qualified for a job.
On the other hand, those who were slumped over their desks were less likely to accept these written-down feelings about their own qualifications. The results show how our body posture can affect not only what others think about us, but also how we think about ourselves, said Richard Petty, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at Ohio State University.
“Most of us were taught that sitting up straight gives a good impression to other people,” Petty said. “But it turns out that our posture can also affect how we think about ourselves. If you sit up straight, you end up convincing yourself you’re competent by the posture you’re in.”
Your posture screams a message about who you are. Standing erect suggests an aura of self-confidence, while someone who slumps projects an image of insecurity. People who are depressed and in chronic pain often sit or stand slumped. Hunching over implies that you don’t feel comfortable taking up space and may indicate that you will not be assertive in a business situation. Poor posture may project that you are less physically fit and that too could detract from making a good first impression.
The opposite is true of good posture. Having good posture suggests you are upright, positive, healthy and outgoing.
Physical benefits of good posture
Working on improving your posture can reduce back pain, prevent muscle strain and allow your muscles to work more efficiently. Consider improving your posture to improve your image and your overall well-being. Try taking a class at your local gym in Pilates or going on-line to learn more about exercise tips to improve your posture. It may improve how people perceive you and straighten out any image problems you might have.
