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Like Mom said, 'Don't slouch!'

Julia Savacool
Special for USA TODAY

If your idea of getting comfortable at work is to slide forward in your seat until your chest is desk-high, hunch your shoulders and hunker down for the day, you may be setting yourself up for a tougher grind than you realize. A new study in the journal Health Psychology found that people who favor a slumped over posture while performing high pressure tasks report having more negative thoughts and feeling more depressed than those who sit upright.

Try not to be like Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson)  in this scene from NBC's 'The Office.' Sit up straight.

Just a coincidence? Science suggests not: In another study done by psychologists at Ohio State University, people who slumped forward in their seats while performing work-related jobs described themselves as having significantly less confidence in their professional skills than those who sat upright.

While previous studies have explored the way facial expressions can alter mood (for instance, try smiling and feeling tense at the same time—it's harder than you think!), less is known about the correlation between body positions and people's emotional state. "We believe that when faced with a stressful situation, people experience sensory and physiological responses at the same time," explains study co-author Elizabeth Broadbent, Ph.D., a senior lecturer in health psychology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. "We see the threat, our heart beat increases, our muscles react and we feel scared. Because these systems are linked in the brain, when one part is activated it can activate the other parts. So being in a slouched posture may be neurologically linked to more negative emotions."

It turns out that the way your carry yourself plays a substantial role not only in whether you feel happy or sad, confident or insecure, but also impacts such things as whether you are an honest or deceitful person. Researchers at the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that people who assumed more "expansive" postures, such as sprawling out in a chair as opposed to sitting in a gentlemanly fashion, were more likely to steal money or cheat on a test in their experiment. How those findings carry over into the real world is not exactly clear, but the scientists reported an interesting parallel with their discovery that automobiles with the most sprawling driver accommodations (such as SUVs) were also the cars most likely to be illegally parked in New York City.

Of course, there is the age-old chicken and egg question: Do people experience more negative emotions or behave in less civilized ways because they are slumped in their seat? Or do people slump in their seat because they are feeling low to begin with? "Evidence suggests that the link is bidirectional," says Broadbent. "Feeling sad makes you slouch more, and having slouched posture makes you feel sadder." Either way, she adds, "sitting upright may help you feel more positive when faced with a stressful situation."

That's notable for the millions of Americans who find themselves sequestered behind a desk for the better part of five days a week. Sure, it may feel more comfortable to scoot down, round your spine and rest your head on the back of your seat. But when the heat gets turned up (and, being work, it always does eventually), you are more apt to succumb to negative thoughts of doom and gloom and wonder how you'll ever get out of your predicament. Meanwhile, your coworkers with their shoulders back and spine straight will benefit from feelings of empowerment and can-do attitude, research shows. Maybe this week, you should pay heed to Mom.

More reasons to sit up straight:

  • Your boss will take you more seriously. Psychologists say an erect posture sends signals to others that you are in charge of your workspace.
  • You'll look slimmer. And seriously, who doesn't want that? Pulling your shoulders back and reaching your head toward the ceiling will instantly add the illusion of more height, less girth.
  • Your brain will get more oxygen. When you slump in your seat, you are reducing your lung capacity by up to 30 percent, according to researchers at the University of Southern California. This can cause shortness of breath, dizziness and less clarity in your thinking.
  • You'll have less neck pain. All that slouching puts strain on your neck muscles, forcing them to contort in order to hold your head in a way that still allows you to see your computer monitor. No strain, no pain.
  • You'll improve your balance. Slouching while sitting deactivates your pelvic muscles, which are crucial to stabilizing your body. Sitting up tall engages these muscles, giving your midsection a mini workout, without ever having to set foot in a gym.

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