When you’re down in the dumps, sitting up straighter may lift your spirits.
THE BASICS
People with depression often slouch, their droopy shoulders mirroring their down mood. So what happens if they simply sit up straighter? They may feel more upbeat and less fatigued, says a new study from the University of Auckland. The study is slated for publication in the March 2017 issue of the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry.
Proud, persistent, confident, alert
Previous research had focused on the link between posture and mood in healthy populations, says Elizabeth Broadbent, Ph.D., one of the authors of the new study. Broadbent is an associate professor of health psychology at the University of Auckland.
“These studies suggest that sitting upright, compared to slumping, can make you feel more proud after a success. It can also increase your persistence at an unsolvable task and boost your confidence in your thoughts,” Broadbent says.
“Research also suggests that sitting upright can make you feel more alert and enthusiastic, feel less fearful, and have higher self-esteem after a stressful task.”
But would a simple change in posture have any impact on people with depression? That’s what Broadbent and her colleagues set out to investigate.
How the research was conducted
The researchers included 61 participants who scored in the mild to moderate depression range on a screening test. The group as a whole was more likely to sit with stooped shoulders and a rounded back, compared to norms for people without depression.
Researchers randomly assigned the participants to either an upright-posture group or a usual-posture group. Those in the upright-posture group were given instructions on how to sit up straight:
- First, they looked straight ahead, straightened their backs, and leveled their shoulders.
- Then, they thought about stretching the tops of their heads toward the ceiling while gently drawing their shoulder blades down and together.
Researchers placed rigid physiotherapy tape on the participants’ shoulders and backs to help them maintain this posture. In contrast, the usual-posture group sat however they wished. The researchers also applied tape to their shoulders and backs, but in a way that didn’t affect posture.
While sitting this way, participants performed a task designed to elicit stress. They gave a five-minute speech, with instructions that the audience would judge them, and then counted backward from 1,022 in steps of 13. At various points, participants also completed questionnaires measuring their mood symptoms.
“In addition,” Broadbent says, “participants sitting upright spoke more words during the stressful speech task. They also used fewer first-person singular pronouns, such as ‘me’ and ‘I.’ This suggests they had more energy, experienced less negative mood, and were less self-focused”—changes consistent with easing depressive symptoms.
When your mood is in a slump
If you have depression that causes serious distress and interferes with daily life, good posture cannot replace professional treatment. However, as a complement to treatment, occasionally reminding yourself to sit or stand up straight may help you feel more upbeat and energetic.
Thus far, there’s only limited evidence to support this approach, but there’s also very little risk in trying it.
In any case, improving slouchy posture may have other health benefits. Poor posture can lead to backaches, neck and shoulder pain and headaches. A wellness clinic in Guildford, combines evidence based posture correction with massage therapy, osteopathy and physiotherapy to combat the detrimental effect of poor posture and depression.
If you don’t have depression but are feeling a little blue, studies suggest that improving slouched posture can lift your mood.
“I got into this area after one day when I was walking along, feeling sad after a bad day,” says Broadbent. While walking, he noticed his shoulders were slumped and his gaze fixed on the ground. When he looked up and pulled his shoulders back, he immediately felt much better.
Broadbent adds, “I hypothesized that, if this worked for me, it might work for other people, too. That is what got me started on this research pathway. From my own experience and from my research, I think adopting an upright posture can help people feel better. But I think much depends on context and situation, and more research is needed into when [this strategy] works and for whom.”