Sit up Straight

I have to thank my friend Anne for sharing this news item with me.

Body Posture Affects Confidence In Your Own Thoughts, Study Finds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005111627.htm

First, let me state that Anne has the best posture of anyone I've ever known.

Now, what is the gist of the article? Apparently your posture can make you more confident in your own thoughts. In an experiment, students who sat up straight and wrote positive comments were later more likely to identify with those positive traits. However, if they wrote negative comments, they were more likely to identify with those as well. The effect is on confidence in your thoughts, not in creating positive thoughts. Students who slumped in their seats were less likely to assign either positive or negative traits to themselves. They were less confident in their thoughts.

I guess if you are going to think negative thoughts, then you should slump and if you are going to think positive thoughts you should sit up straight.

Interesting that people who are feeling "down" tend to slump, and those who are feeling good tend to sit up straight. Maybe our posture is reinforcing the good thoughts and minimizing the negative. It is similar to our perception in sociology that putting on the costume for a role (a doctor's white coat, for instance) can change your thoughts and behaviors. If people also tend to treat you differently based on your posture, then this study is even more powerful. You will feel more confident in your (positive) thoughts, others will treat you with more confidence, and the circle is completed.

So, sit up!