In
karate we know how important posture is for effective movement, and that
posture has psychological effect as well.
When
In good posture, it is easy to control body dynamics, transfer ground reaction
forces through body center to technique, all muscles are in optimal length for
function, and have full potential for contraction/expansion.
In
good posture one can be more relaxed, perceived the whole picture rather than
being stuck in details and be more mentally responsive and flexible.
A
good or bad posture influences how people perceive you and how you perceive
yourself.
We
know that a posture shows many things about a person, but does it work the other way? can improving posture
affect your personality?
A
new study demonstrates that a good posture, which is expansive rather than
contractive, cause physiological and hormonal beneficial changes as well.
Humans
and other animals express power through open, expansive postures, and they
express powerlessness through closed, contractive postures. But can these
postures actually cause power? The results of this study confirmed the prediction that being in postures that are expansive and open would cause
neuroendocrine and behavioral changes for both male and female participants:
High-power posers experienced elevations in testosterone, which increases
confidence and dominance, decreases in cortisol (stress hormone) and therefore
response to stress more calmly, and increased feelings of power and tolerance
for risk; people who had contractive postures exhibited the opposite pattern.
In short, posing in displays of power caused advantaged and adaptive
psychological, physiological, and behavioral changes, and these findings
suggest that embodiment extends beyond mere thinking and feeling, to physiology
and subsequent behavioral choices. The study shows that being in open, power
postures for even 2 minutes, embody power and instantly cause one to be more
powerful, it causes real-world, actionable implications.
Power determines greater access to
resources (de Waal, 1998; Keltner, Gruenfeld, & Anderson, 2003); higher
levels of control over a person’s own body, mind, and positive
feelings (Keltner et al., 2003); and enhanced cognitive function (Smith,
Jostmann, Galinsky, & van Dijk, 2008). Powerful individuals (compared with
powerless individuals) demonstrate greater willingness to engage in action
(Galinsky, Gruenfeld, & Magee, 2003; Keltner et al., 2003) and often show
increased risk-taking behavior. (e.g., Anderson & Galinsky, 2006).
The neuroendocrine profiles of the
powerful differentiate them from the powerless, on two key hormones—testosterone
and cortisol. In humans and other animals, testosterone levels both reflect and
reinforce dispositional and situational status and dominance; internal and
external cues cause testosterone to rise, increasing dominant behaviors, and
these behaviors can elevate testosterone even further (Archer, 2006; Mazur
&
Next time you go to karate class, treat your posture even more carefully.
