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Keeling over in pain is the wrong thing to do next time you’re hurting. Standing up straight might increase your pain tolerance, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
In the study, one group adopted a dominant yoga pose—standing straight and taking up more space—while another group took a more submissive pose, involving kneeling and constricting their bodies. When researchers squeezed the subjects’ arms with a blood pressure cuff, those in the dominant pose said “stop” later, suggesting that they had a higher pain tolerance.
“A dominant posture can trick the brain into feeling in control,” says coauthor Vanessa Bohns, Ph.D., post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto. “But a submissive posture can activate stress reactions that can make the pain worse.”
Bohns also says that testosterone can play a part. “Putting people in power poses can temporarily increase testosterone,” she said, “which has been linked to increased pain tolerance.”
If you’re giving blood, having surgery, or getting a vaccination, try improving your posture. “A common instinct is to curl up and protect the body during a painful situation,” says Bohns. “But there’s no need to protect yourself at the doctor’s office.”
In the study, one group adopted a dominant yoga pose—standing straight and taking up more space—while another group took a more submissive pose, involving kneeling and constricting their bodies. When researchers squeezed the subjects’ arms with a blood pressure cuff, those in the dominant pose said “stop” later, suggesting that they had a higher pain tolerance.
“A dominant posture can trick the brain into feeling in control,” says coauthor Vanessa Bohns, Ph.D., post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto. “But a submissive posture can activate stress reactions that can make the pain worse.”
Bohns also says that testosterone can play a part. “Putting people in power poses can temporarily increase testosterone,” she said, “which has been linked to increased pain tolerance.”
If you’re giving blood, having surgery, or getting a vaccination, try improving your posture. “A common instinct is to curl up and protect the body during a painful situation,” says Bohns. “But there’s no need to protect yourself at the doctor’s office.”