Sit Up Straight! Be Confident!

I read this article recently on PsychBlog which discussed the results of a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology about posture when sitting. The study took 71 students and divided them into four groups. The first group was a group of students that were sitting up straight and writing three positive things about themselves. The second group was a group of students that were sitting up straight but writing three negative things about themselves. The third group was a group of students that were slouching and writing three positive things about themselves. The last group of students were slouching and writing three negative things about themselves. The point of the study was to see if your posture had anything to do with self-esteem. The results showed that the students who were sitting up straight were more likely to believe the three positive things that they said about themselves verses the students who were slouching and did not believe the positive things that they wrote down about themselves.

I found this article interesting because I find when I am slouching that I tend to have problems paying attention and tend to think negatively about things I have to get done. However when I am sitting up straight I tend to be more productive. I doubt that this study applies to everyone but I still find it fascinating how the little irrelevant things can impact a person's attitude or whole outlook on the day along with their self-esteem.