Stop the Slouch: Body language affects how teens view each other and themselves

February — the peak of third quarter slump. The thought of three more months until warm weather makes you slouch in your hard plastic, school-issued seat. 

It’s too early to start buying swimsuits and getting excited for spring break, but winter break feels like forever ago. That motivated, refreshed start to the new semester is long gone. The days blend together. The three-minute trudge from your car to the building sucks out your energy before the bell even rings at 7:40 a.m. Sometimes all you can manage to do is the bare minimum of slugging on your backpack and stumbling through the day. 

But be cautious. This melancholy attitude toward school may be harming you even worse than your AP Calculus homework. Body language — the nonverbal way we communicate like stand, walk and carry ourselves — is more important than we often realize. Craned necks and slumped shoulders not only impact the impressions you make on others, but also how you view yourself. 

Especially in school, where most of the time is spent sitting and listening to lectures, nonverbal communication is key to how classmates and teachers perceive you. Sagging into your desk with your arms folded closes you off from the world and can make you appear unapproachable. I know I’m guilty of it, which is why I wanted to look into how to put a stop to it. 

The common phrase “actions speak louder than words” is a testament to this. In communication 55% of body language is what is perceived by others, with spoken words accounting for only 7% and voice and tone for 38%, according to a study by Prof. Albert Mehrabrian. Body language registers in the human brain almost immediately, even when we aren’t consciously aware of it. It’s what sets the tone for each interaction and impression throughout your day. 

Every movement, whether an eye roll, a shoulder shrug or a bright-eyed smile, has the power to put people at ease, build trust and attract others — but also to offend, confuse and undermine your true intent.

Eye contact, for example, is vital to the beginning of an interaction because we look at others’ eyes and face before anything else, according to cognitive neuroscientist and writer Dr. Christian Jarret. Humans evolved to develop a system in the brain — the fusiform face area — that’s ready to process the information coming from the eyes and face at any moment, according to Psychology Compass. Shifty eyes or avoiding eye contact alarm the other person’s brain that you could be hiding something, lying or that you can’t be trusted — a phenomenon that may not be registered consciously, but can still affect one’s attitude toward you.

Posture is another tell-tale sign of your thoughts and feelings at any given moment. And while bad days may make you desperate to lean back in your chair and put your feet up, it’s recommended by many pediatricians to focus on the “90-90-90 Rule” whenever seated. According to this, there should be a 90 degree angle at the hips, knees and ankles with feet flat on the floor — no arms or legs crossed and no spine slouched.

Though I already had no doubt in my mind about how impactful body language is, I decided to put these new tactics to the test. On Monday and Tuesday, I allowed myself to really sink into that slump to see how it affected my overall mood. My focus was out the window, I could barely keep my eyes open as my teachers droned on, and by the end of the day, I was too cranky to even unzip my backpack and start my homework until 8 p.m. 

But by Wednesday and Thursday, I promised myself to make conscious body language decisions throughout the entire day. I waved and smiled with my eyes to everyone I knew, straightened my back any time I felt myself inching down into my seat, nodded and engaged in my teachers’ seemingly never-ending lectures and uncrossed my arms everytime I had the urge to curl into myself. 

I was intentional in every movement I made, and while it required “Sit up straight!” reminders on my phone for the first few days and constant awareness of my posture, it was easily a game-changer. My mind felt clearer, I maintained my focus through pages of history notes and felt I had more engaging, real conversations with both my classmates and teachers. 

We’ve all heard the advice to look in the mirror while doing a power stance as a way to build confidence. A similar phenomenon applies with body language and posture. Think about it, if you’re constantly hunched down to be smaller and closing yourself off from the world, your confidence will shrink right along with you. But meet each day with a 90-degree posture and bright eyes? The world will meet you with that same energy. 

So, the next time you drop your head and slip in your AirPods, giving nothing more than a glance to your classmates in the halls as the weight of your backpack hunches you over, remember how much a quick straighten of your back and uncrossing of your arms can turn your day around. Maybe it takes a little more effort and time to break old habits, but at the end of the day, you’ll be happier with yourself and people will likely have a more positive perception of you.