A new McGill University study shows that sitting upright — without consciously realizing it — can make people take smarter risks and feel more pride.
The research
Led by Jorge Armony, a professor in McGill's Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, and graduate student Soren Wainio-Theberge, the study recruited nearly 200 participants from the McGill community. Published in the British Journal of Psychology, the research set out to test whether posture influences mood and decision-making — but without the pitfalls that undermined earlier "power pose" studies.
Those earlier studies were criticized because participants were told which posture to adopt, meaning the results could simply reflect what people expected to feel. Armony and Wainio-Theberge avoided that problem entirely by using a cover story. Participants were told they were testing a mobile application on a tablet. For half of them, the tablet sat on a stand atop an adjustable table, encouraging an upright posture. For the others, the tablet lay flat on a lower desk, prompting them to hunch over.
The team also used video software to measure each participant's neck angle, giving them an objective physiological benchmark that earlier posture studies often lacked. Post-experiment interviews confirmed that most participants had no idea their posture was being studied.
Participants then played a virtual balloon inflation game, where they could earn rewards by pumping up a balloon — but risked losing everything if it burst. Those in the upright group took greater risks and accumulated higher rewards. "This suggests they were not acting more impulsively but rather were engaging in more effective risk-taking," Armony explained.
The upright group also reported significantly higher feelings of pride on a follow-up questionnaire, an emotion tied to positive self-regard and confidence.
Why it matters
Your body and brain are in constant conversation, and this study suggests the dialogue runs in both directions — even when you're not paying attention. The effects were modest and lab-based, and Armony cautions that posture alone won't transform your life. But the findings raise a practical question: how much of your daily mood and decision-making is being shaped by something as ordinary as your desk height or where you set your phone? For anyone thinking about their own cognition, it's a reminder that small environmental tweaks can quietly nudge how you feel and how you choose.
What you can do
- Notice your setup: try raising your screen or tablet so you sit more upright during focused tasks.
- Experiment for yourself: before a high-stakes decision, check in on your posture and see if adjusting it changes how you feel.
- Don't overcorrect: think of posture as one small input among many that shape attention, mood, and judgment.
Source: Neuroscience News
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