It's Now Okay to be a Stiff

(Illustration: Brown Bird Designs/WSJ)

Good posture is about more than looking good; there are long-term health benefits.

Beyond basic aesthetics, good posture—an erect, balanced bearing—determines the ease and efficiency with which you move your body. Less well-known is that good posture is also essential for optimal circulation, respiration, digestion and bladder function. Increasing evidence suggests it also improves cognitive ability and enhances your mood.

Moreover, when you hold yourself upright such that no bony or soft tissue is catching, compressing or straining, it sets you up to maintain your physical fitness, freedom of movement and independence as you age. Physical therapists and geriatricians agree that a stooping posture doesn’t have to be the inevitable consequence of getting old.

And don't ignore the psychological benefits:

A 2023 analysis of posture research going back more than 20 years revealed that there is a significant bidirectional relationship between depression and a slumped posture. Another study showed that participants who maintained an upright posture while in a stressful situation reported higher self-esteem, better mood and less anxiety, compared with participants who slumped. Furthermore, better posture is thought to foster a sense of vitality and pleasure, improve cognitive performance, increase rate of speech and reduce self-absorption.

Only a small fraction of Americans sign up for military service or finishing schools. It's too bad that these institutions are regarded as passé, because their matriculants do learn good posture.