The importance of good posture

[flyingfox2002]

How do you hold your posture? Erect? Hunched? Or a mix of the two interchangeably?

Personally, I have a lanky body type, and it's hard to remember to stand straight sometimes. Sometimes I have to remind myself to take a gay pose -- pull my shoulder blades back and stick out my chest -- this does may me stand straighter. Also my neck is long so my head kinda sticks forward (like the dude playing Lex Luthor on Smallville). It's hard to keep it back. LOL

I marvel at how so many women can hold such a perfect posture when they sit, stand, whenever -- especially the so called "attractive" ones. Do you ladies practice this? Or does it come naturally?

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/Careers/07/08/looks/

Do pretty people earn more?
Research, reality can be at odds over the ugly truth

By Kate Lorenz

Studies show attractive students get more attention and higher evaluations from their teachers, good-looking patients get more personalized care from their doctors, and handsome criminals receive lighter sentences than less attractive convicts. But how much do looks matter at work?

The ugly truth, according to economics professors Daniel Hamermesh of the University of Texas and Jeff Biddle of Michigan State University, is that plain people earn 5 percent to 10 percent less than people of average looks, who in turn earn 3 percent to 8 percent less than those deemed good-looking.

These findings concur with other research that shows the penalty for being homely exceeds the premium for beauty and that across all occupations, the effects are greater for men than women.

A London Guildhall University survey of 11,000 33-year-olds found that unattractive men earned 15 percent less than those deemed attractive, while plain women earned 11 percent less than their prettier counterparts.

In their report "Beauty, Productivity and Discrimination: Lawyers', Looks and Lucre," Hamermesh and Biddle found that the probability of a male attorney attaining early partnership directly correlates with how handsome he is.

Size matters, too. A study released last year by two professors at the University of Florida and University of North Carolina found that tall people earn considerably more money throughout their careers than their shorter co-workers, with each inch adding about $789 a year in pay.

A survey of male graduates of the University of Pittsburgh found that the tallest students' average starting salary was 12 percent higher than their shorter colleagues'. The London Guildhall study showed that overweight women are more likely to be unemployed and that those who are working earn on average 5 percent less than their trimmer peers.

According to Dr. Gordon Patzer, who has spent more than three decades studying and writing about physical attractiveness, human beings are hard-wired to respond more favorably to attractive people. Even studies of babies show they will look more intently and longer at prettier faces.

"Good-looking men and women are generally judged to be more talented, kind, honest and intelligent than their less attractive counterparts," Patzer says. "Controlled studies show people go out of their way to help attractive people -- of the same and opposite sex -- because they want to be liked and accepted by good-looking people."

These conclusions may not sound too pretty to those of us who were dealt a bad hand in the looks department. But don't rush off to try out for the next round of "Extreme Makeover" just yet.

Despite what the research says, some of the world's most successful people have been ordinary looking at best, and you would never mistake the faces in Fortune for those in Esquire or Entertainment Weekly. Business legends are often of average height (Bill Gates at 5 feet 9 inches) or even diminutive (Jack Welch, 5 feet 8 inches, and Ross Perot, 5 feet 7 inches). What's more, many folks who are lovely to look at complain that they lose out on jobs because people assume they are vacuous or lightweights.

How does this reconcile with all the research? Hiring managers say it is the appearance of confidence they find attractive, not the presence of physical beauty. And they contend that attractiveness has more to do with how you carry yourself and the energy you exude -- rather than having perfect features or a great physique.

According to Gordon Wainright, author of "Teach Yourself Body Language," anyone can increase their attractiveness to others if they maintain good eye contact, act upbeat, dress well (with a dash of color to their wardrobe) and listen well.

Wainright also stresses the importance of posture and bearing and suggests that for one week you stand straight, tuck in your stomach, hold your head high and smile at those you meet.

Based on many such experiments, Wainwright predicts you will begin to be treated with more warmth and respect and start attracting more people to you.

Kate Lorenz is the article and advice editor for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

[pandamao]

Lol. I do not consider myself as an attractive one ...

As for posture, I our boobs have a lot to do with it. The straighter we stand the less slagging it looks.

[jadebunny9]

I'm already short as it is, so slouching is a big no no.

[Ren Wo Xing]

Lol. I do not consider myself as an attractive one ...

As for posture, I our boobs have a lot to do with it. The straighter we stand the less slagging it looks.

You're a girl? Blink.

[KeongJai]

You're a girl? Blink.

ahahaha. nah he's a man who sits back straight so his man-can's don't look saggy.

Having a good posture strengthens your abdominal and lower back muscles. An easy to force yourself to sit straight is to sit at the edge of your seat with your knees pointing downwards - makes it hard to slouch.

[sniffles]

Good posture will make your back very happy with you when you get older.

My left shoulder is punishing me now for having had poor posture most of my life. It hurts all the time.

Also, women should not carry heavy purses that just hang off of one shoulder. And no one should carry a heavy backpack that hangs way down on your butt. If you do use a backpack, put both straps on your shoulders, and adjust them so the backpack's lowest point rides above your hip bones. That's probably part of where my problem comes from. Too many years of only hanging the backpack off one shoulder.

[imthatlady]

i have VERY good posture!
my friends makes fun of me all the time though..
whenever we're out eating or something, i sit with my back incredibly straight so they're always asking how i do it idk, habit i guess
and when i walk, i straighten my body and keep my eyes focus ahead..pretending i'm doing the runway LMAO. hey, it works though it gets to my head sometimes and i actually THINK i'm really doing the runway-- so i just keep my eyes focusing ahead and ignore everything else i pass. sometime, i don't even realized i just walked past ppl i know

hmm..maybe that'd one of the reason why ppl say i walk with "conceited-ness" hahah. i walk like i don't give a damn about my surroundings sometimes.

[KeongJai]

i have VERY good posture!
my friends makes fun of me all the time though..
whenever we're out eating or something, i sit with my back incredibly straight so they're always asking how i do it idk, habit i guess
and when i walk, i straighten my body and keep my eyes focus ahead..pretending i'm doing the runway LMAO. hey, it works though it gets to my head sometimes and i actually THINK i'm really doing the runway-- so i just keep my eyes focusing ahead and ignore everything else i pass. sometime, i don't even realized i just walked past ppl i know

hmm..maybe that'd one of the reason why ppl say i walk with "conceited-ness" hahah. i walk like i don't give a damn about my surroundings sometimes.

you mean you strut?

[patricia n]

i've lost an inch because of bad posture. let this be a lesson ladies and dudes, stand as erect as possible or else you will be a dwarf like me.

[imthatlady]

you mean you strut?

lmao no, not really when i think of "Strut", i think of rich spoiled girls with their oversized stunnas and designer handbags walking fast, with their hips swagging side to side and their head up high in the air not exactly the way i walk i just walk really straight with my eyes focus ahead and only ahead. i don't really let my eyes wander around so chances are, if you're someone i know and you're off to the side-- i might've missed you

[flyingfox2002]

I thnk I am screwed once I get into my 40's. When I am on the pc at home, my posture is so bad. I kind of "sit" on my lower back LOL.

I think my posture has improved though. Wish I wasn't so lanky. At least I have some muscles from working out now, so I don't look like a weakling anymore.

imthatlady, doesn't your spine ever get tired from being so erect all the time? I get tired when I sit for too long with an erect back... probably from the bad habit of bad sitting posture all these years.

[Floo..]

i have a nice posture (years of ballet training ). great, since am petite

agreed that good posture is important in business, though. it gives the impression that you are confident, sharp and alert. at least that's what my boss told me...

[999roses]

It's so hard when I am carrying a heavy backpack. I got into the habit of doing that throughout my years of undergrad, and now I slouch. It's horrible, and I'm really making an effort not to. It does steal my height =S

I have bad sitting posture too....

I dropped out of ballet class when I was little ahaha....

[xJadedx]

I have ok posture, though I slouch a lot. But there are usually people around me who remind me to have correct postures.

[jiang bao]

Because most people I interact with are shorter than me even though I am only average height by American standards, I have this bad habit of looking down. Coupled with a fairly long neck, it makes me look like a damn turtle sometimes. I must remind myself to focus “above the horizon” when I walk. Doing that should help me keep my head up and back straight… I hope.

I’ll try this out today.

[Mary Williams - BACKCoach]

Good posture is one of the cornerstones to overall good health. Without it, you risk your body being off-balance – which can be harmful in many different ways. Good postures makes for a good foundation – if you continue daily activities with bad posture, you can potentially harm your back – and also contribute to unnecessary tension in your muscles. By learning the fundamentals of good posture, you are teaching yourself good habits that can help you out at the office, at home, or even while you relax!

[jadebunny9]

I don't even know if that was a real post or a bot post.

[Dragon Heiress]

^^Lol, that actually really funny.