A lot has been said about the role of posture in thinking and engagement. The American Posture Institute cites research into posture and cognition stating:
With proper posture, there is better cognitive performance.
-Muehlhan, M. et al. (2014)
Muehlhan’s research measured students ability to retain information as a result of physical posture. Generally speaking, the more passive and “laid back” a student’s posture, the less information she could retain. Interestingly, the research was initially aimed at determining whether fMRI studies were yielding truly accurate results, given that fMRI scans are always done in a supine position.
This seems fairly obvious, though. When something requires our attention, the natural response is not to lay back and relax - we sit “at attention.” It’s part of our autonomic fight or flight response to transition to a position of engagement when we hear that saber-toothed tiger in the distance.
So why does almost every chair on the market offer you 42 ways to make it feel like you’re lying down while upright? I’ve never quite understood this, and always felt strange paying hard-earned money to buy a fancy ergonomic chair that I’m going to sit on the edge of most of the time.
