Most of us remember our parents chiding us to “Sit up straight.” Honestly, they probably just cared about us not looking like a slouch, but they also implied good posture was better for our health. But there’s another reason to pay attention to your posture.
Did you know your posture can make you more creative?
Posture is often overlooked as an attribute that affects our creative output. I’m not talking about having good posture. I’m talking about how different postures are helpful for different modes of the creative process.
Image courtesy of Steelcase
Standing or Perching
Standing at a bar-height table or perching on a tall stool is good for collaborative work. These postures encourage active participation, making it easy for individuals to engage on a collaborative work product or approach a white board to contribute. Workshops and teaching environments can be more energetic when they incorporate these postures. So you can see how standing or perching can benefit group creativity.
Image courtesy of Steelcase
Lounging
Lounging at work isn’t a sign of laziness. It can actually help you generate new ideas. Lounging positions can be good for stimulating diffuse thinking and rejuvenating your energy. This helps you relax and allows your mind to wander and discover new ideas. If you don’t have lounge furniture available to you, adding a footstool is a simple solution. Even the simple act of propping your feet on your desk can put you into a different headspace for creative thinking.
Image courtesy of Steelcase
Sitting
When you are focusing during individual work, it’s helpful to sit in a good task chair that adjusts to support your specific height. This helps you work more comfortably, which is important. Fidgeting caused by discomfort can break your concentration and prevent you from getting into a productive flow, which is important to our creative output. Research shows being in a positive mood improves our creativity. A chair that helps you stay in a healthy sitting posture also can help you maintain a more positive mental attitude.
A recent Fast Company article cites research from San Francisco University psychology professor Erik Peper.
In a series of experiments, Peper found that sitting in a collapsed, helpless position makes it easier for negative thoughts and memories to appear while sitting in an upright, powerful position makes it easier to have empowering thoughts and memories.
Changing Postures for Wellness
Rotating between sitting, standing, perching and lounging postures isn’t just good for creativity. It has also been proven to provide health and wellness benefits according to the world’s leading office furniture manufacturer Steelcase.
The perils of remaining in a sitting posture for long periods, day after day, are clear. The benefits of changing postures— including improved focus, engagement and wellness—are also clear. Just one hour each day spent standing can help workers burn extra calories, and maintain or renew their energy levels and focus.
So, maybe our parents were right about good posture. But following their advice won’t simply help us avoid looking like a slouch, apparently it can keep us from being a creative slouch as well.