A person's posture may subtly affect both emotional state and decision-making, according to new research from McGill University. In a laboratory study, participants who sat upright reported more positive feelings and performed better during a task involving risk and reward than participants who slouched or sat in the control condition.
The effects were relatively small and were observed under controlled conditions. Still, the findings offer new evidence that physical position can influence mood and behavior, said Jorge Armony, a professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at McGill and the study's senior author.
Researchers Changed Posture Without Revealing the Study's Goal
Armony worked with graduate student Soren Wainio-Theberge, who developed the original idea for the research and coauthored the paper. The team recruited nearly 200 people from the McGill community.
Participants first completed tests using a computer monitor. They were then asked to perform another task on a tablet while being told that the researchers were evaluating a mobile application.
