Emotion May Be Revealed by Posture
Overall mood and emotional state were also associated with posture.
Three studies used innovative methods to measure the connection between
emotions and body stature. Investigators found a positive association
between positive emotion and chest height in young children (r = 0.37,
p=0.03).30 Negative emotions were related to a reduced
height posture by introducing an emotional concept (disappointment) and
measuring chest height (t(56)=0.2.76,
p<0.004).26 Observers rated emotions more
accurately when looking at body posture in addition to facial expression
compared to using facial expressions only (F(1,14)=96.9,
p<0.001), suggesting that it was the interaction of body
posture with facial expression that resulted in an improved prediction
of an emotion.29