Positive Posture

Turns out your parents were right: You really should sit up straight – at least if you want to be more confident.

Scientists at Ohio State University made the connection after a study where 71 students were divided into two groups, with one group told to half slouch, and the other told to sit up straight, chests puffed out. The

The groups were then divided again, with half asked to write down three positive personal traits, and the other half three negative ones. Everyone then had to rate their future chances of success.

The results: Those who sat upright were more positive about what lay ahead – in other words, they really believed the great things they wrote about themselves.

"Most of us were taught that sitting up straight gives a good impression to others, but it turns out that our posture can also affect how we think about ourselves," study co-author Richard Petty, a professor of psychology at Ohio State University, said in a ScienceDaily press release. (The results of the study are published in this month's European Journal of Social Psychology.)

"Sitting up straight is something you can train yourself to do, and it has psychological benefits," says Petty.

Straight back at ya!

Photo courtesy Christian/Roshambo via Flickr.