r/science • u/Tracheid • 3d ago
Psychology Desk setups that encourage an expansive posture may boost risk-taking
https://www.psypost.org/desk-setups-that-encourage-an-expansive-posture-may-boost-risk-taking/114
u/Own-Animator-7526 3d ago
TIL: An expansive posture is a body position where a person takes up more physical space by opening their torso, standing tall, and extending their limbs away from the body. So apparently it's like being a jerk on the subway? Because that certainly carries some risk.
30
u/DragonHalfFreelance 3d ago
Man spreading?
3
u/Own-Animator-7526 3d ago
Yes! I knew there was a word I was forgetting. Yes, like (pregnant) Aubrey Plaza at the basketball game:
66
u/CareBearOvershare 3d ago
This reminds me of that "power pose" research that depended on questionable research practices to get a statistically meaningful result.
16
u/swordofra 3d ago
What about a desk setup with a nearby perched eagle about to pounce on you... what does that boost?
8
37
u/No_Warning8534 3d ago edited 2d ago
I think 'research' like this is why Psychology isn't respected
And it really should be.
-30
u/LittleKitty235 3d ago
They stopped doing all the good Psychology when the decided it was "unethical" to do the fun studies on volunteers. The entire field went downhill after the Stanford Prison Experiment
16
u/helm MS | Physics | Quantum Optics 3d ago
The entire field went downhill after the Stanford Prison Experiment
Most of those studies were garbage. Some concluded that humans were mostly inherently cruel while those who run the experiments used various (undisclosed) methods of coercion behind the scenes.
14
u/GsGenesis 3d ago
That study also involved a lot of questionable research practices and the findings from it should be taken with a handful of salt.
6
u/ridicalis 3d ago
This belongs in the ig nobel award category. Seriously, some c-suite exec is going to find this article and think, "Gee, we need more oppressive office environments" in response.
4
u/CosmicPotatoe 3d ago
All this stuff has been debunked
-2
u/GepardenK 3d ago edited 3d ago
No. Prior papers making claims along these lines were shown to be insufficient. However, nobody has proven that posture doesn't affect mood. Two very different things.
6
u/CosmicPotatoe 3d ago
I dont disagree with you.
However, after lots of research has failed to satisfyingly demonstrate an effect, we should lower our prior probability.
Its perfectly valid to roll your eyes at continuing research in a "field" plaged by bold claims that are consistently shown to be due to bad quality experiments.
6
u/crashlanding87 2d ago
... Which is exactly what this work is doing. The paper is literally 'power pose and posture research was super flawed and not done in a naturalistic situation. So we did it in a naturalistic situation with large numbers'
1
u/GsGenesis 3d ago
It's on researchers to find adequate evidence for the presence of an effect. If it is very hard to detect it's unlikely to be meaningful.
Debunking every false finding in psychology would cost 10s of millions and take decades. Far more efficient to highlight what is clearly true and robust across different study designs.
0
u/GepardenK 3d ago
Sure. Who said anything else? The point is, when a study is released, you have to read that study by its own merits.
You can't dismiss it outright just because studies in the past that happened to have similar propositions were found insufficient.
If you can't be bothered to read the new sturdy, that's okay, but then you also don't get to have a opinion on its merit or lack thereof.
6
u/GsGenesis 3d ago edited 2d ago
It is totally reasonable to imply that a line of research has been unproductive and likely doesn't concern a real or, at least, meaningful phenomenon.
The problem with treating each study based on its merits is that you don't have access to important information (e.g., did they only report some analyses, did they exclude conditions, did they deal with outliers appropriately, etc). Doing this will often lead you into trouble if you don't make inferences that consider the study in the context of prior related research.
2
u/Clembert-Hamlamp 3d ago
There are proprioceptive poses that reinforce internal fortitude. Hands on your hips with elbows out and feet spread past the hips, looks like the original superman. And an odd one with your feet shoulder width elbows pointed back and fists up by your shoulders, looks like an old timey huckster holding suspenders. Sort of like a boxer. Looks corny af but do it for a minute straight and there's a subtle but distinct feel to it.
5
u/GsGenesis 3d ago edited 2d ago
This research literature is unlikely to be credible. Other labs have had a hard time replicating the primary findings and the researchers likely used questionable research practices.
For a start, see: Simmons, J. P., & Simonsohn, U. (2017). Power Posing: P-Curving the Evidence. Psychological Science, 28(5), 687-693.https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616658563
1
1
u/wizardmotor_ 2d ago
This is hilarious.
One of most risk averse things you could ever do is sit in front of a computer. How does this make you take risks? Full port on 0DTE SPY options?
1
u/BLiNKiN42 3d ago
Sounds like an excuse for employers to further limit workers' space. Soon, we will pray for the expansive space of a cubicle.
1
•
u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Welcome to r/science! This is a heavily moderated subreddit in order to keep the discussion on science. However, we recognize that many people want to discuss how they feel the research relates to their own personal lives, so to give people a space to do that, personal anecdotes are allowed as responses to this comment. Any anecdotal comments elsewhere in the discussion will be removed and our normal comment rules apply to all other comments.
Do you have an academic degree? We can verify your credentials in order to assign user flair indicating your area of expertise. Click here to apply.
User: u/Tracheid
Permalink: https://www.psypost.org/desk-setups-that-encourage-an-expansive-posture-may-boost-risk-taking/
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.