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