Adopting good posture while sitting improves mood, increases concentration and may even lower blood pressure.
- Standing up straight is linked to lower blood pressure, slower heart rate and lower temperature.
- The assessed mood of people who are well seated is better than that observed in those who have slouched postures.
Standing up straight is important for your back and everyone has heard the injections of good posture. A new study, published on June 16 in the journal Acta Psychologicareveals that standing well has cognitive effects since it contributes to a good mood and increases concentration, but also lowers blood pressure.
A better mood
The research was conducted on 82 students in their twenties. German researchers at Friedrich-Alexander University ran them through a battery of seated exercises as the participants adopted different postures. At the time of performing the tests, the volunteers did not know that the study was looking at their posture but rather thought that it was assessing their concentration.
People who stood up straight reported having a better overall mood than those who slouched. They rated their mood at 3.77 out of five, compared to 3.43 for those who behaved the worst. The researchers note that this study brings similar results to previous research which showed that people who stand up when they receive positive feedback feel more pride than those who receive this news while hunched over.
Effects on blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature
Beyond mood, the study found that people who sat better also had better blood pressure. “Standing up straight is linked to lower blood pressure, slower heart rate and lower temperaturereports Sarah Awad, lead author of the study. Slumped postures can signal to someone that they are in a potentially threatening situation and need to adopt a protective posture, causing them to feel in a negative mood. On the other hand, sitting up straight tells the person they are in a non-threatening situation..”
These results also support the conclusions of a research presented on September 17, 2018 in the Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry by Elizabeth Broadbent, University of Auckland (New Zealand). “When people walk with their heads tilted down, looking down, and keeping their arms static, it can negatively affect how you feel.she then advanced. On the other hand, walking with your head straight, looking ahead and swinging your arms leads to a good mood..”
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