Body Language and Maintaining a Straight Back

Tim was sitting in front of his laptop, browsing the web. While he was online, a close friend of his that he hadn’t talked to in a long time appeared online. Suddenly Tim’s back became straight.

A few minutes later, his friend left, and Tim started to feel a little bored; without noticing, his back became curved, and he slid a little into the chair. After some time, his phone rang, and upon answering, he realized that he had to deliver something to his aunt who lives on the other side of the town; his back bent more, and he dived deeper into his chair.

While Tim was thinking about that unexpected errand he had to go for; the phone rang again; his aunt told him that she wouldn’t be home and thus he doesn’t have to deliver the things that day. Tim’s back got straighter than ever, and he felt happy.

Body Language and Straight Backs

What made Tim’s back change from curved to straight that often? Just monitor your back’s position for few hours, and you will discover that your back is doing the same exactly as Tim’s back.

Your back will be straighter when :
You’re happy
You’re interested in something

Your back will slouch, and you will slide into your chair when :
You feel down or when your mood swings
You’re bored or when you lose interest in something

Straight backs and attractiveness

Body language can’t just help you read people, but it can also help you attract them.

A straight back can make you more attractive! Keeping your back straight can make you appear more confident and, in turn, more attractive.

A straight back can protect you from criminals!

One study has found that thugs tend to choose their victims based on their degree of submissiveness. If a person appeared submissive, had a curved back and an innocent look on his face when he is more likely to be mugged.

Straighten your back, stretch your shoulders, look the people you encounter in the eye, especially if they looked suspicious, and you will reduce your chance of getting robbed.

Another study has found that people who are more conscientious of their surroundings( for example, they look around them while walking) tend to be at a lower risk of getting mugged.

Body Language’s Reverse effect

What’s great about body language is that it can be used to change emotions. Just as your emotions affect your postures, your postures affect your emotions. Try to force yourself to keep your back straight for a while and see what happens.

You will discover that your mood change will change, but even your way of thinking will change. When you acted like a defeated person by bending your back, you were thinking like one too, but when you started acting like a happy person, you started thinking like one.

In short, Watch Your Back!