We usually think about workstation ergonomics in terms of comfort, fatigue and musculoskeletal health. New psychological research suggests that the way a workstation shapes posture may also have subtler effects on mood and behaviour.

This raises an interesting question about how much influence the physical working environment may have on the way people sit, feel and respond while completing everyday tasks.

Keep reading as we explore what the research found, what it could mean for the workplace and the practical considerations for employers and ergonomics practitioners.

A different way to manipulate posture

In a recent study published in the British Journal of Psychology, researchers at McGill University investigated whether the environment could influence posture and, in turn, mood and behaviour, without people being told how to sit.

The study involved 198 participants. Rather than asking them to adopt a deliberate ‘power pose’, the researchers changed the position of a tablet used during an experimental task. In one condition, the tablet was placed slightly above eye level, encouraging participants to sit more upright. In the other, it was positioned low and close to the participant, encouraging a more hunched posture. The tablet was fixed in place, so participants adapted themselves to the equipment.

This distinction matters. In everyday work, people rarely receive instructions to adopt an expansive or contractive pose. However, the position of a laptop, screen, tablet, work surface or input device can still make a particular posture the easiest, or sometimes the only, way to complete the task.

What did the researchers find?

Participants completed a computer-based activity called the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. They could repeatedly inflate a virtual balloon to increase a potential reward but risked losing the reward for that round if the balloon burst. Those in the more upright, expansive condition increased their risk-taking across the task more than those in the contractive condition. When compared with a separate control group using a conventional computer setup, the difference appeared to be driven mainly by the expansive group.

The results relating to mood were more nuanced. There was no straightforward overall effect of assigned posture on mood. However, an objective measure of participants’ neck angle was associated with changes in pride and, less conclusively, emotional valence. The findings suggest that the posture people actually adopt may be more informative than the category of workstation setup to which they are assigned.

Importantly, the effects remained when the researchers’ considered participants who had not realised that their posture was being manipulated. This supports the central idea that environmental constraints can influence posture implicitly rather than through conscious instruction.

What could this mean for the workplace?

For employers and ergonomics practitioners, the most useful message is not that posture can be used to engineer employee confidence or risk appetite. The study does not establish that. Instead, it reinforces a more practical principle: workstation design influences the person using it, and that influence may extend beyond physical comfort.

Traditional DSE advice can sometimes sound as though posture is primarily a matter of individual behaviour: sit back, relax the shoulders and keep the head balanced. These are useful prompts, but they will have limited effect if the screen is too low, the laptop is positioned to one side, the tablet lies flat on a desk, or the person has to move towards the equipment to see and use it.

A better question is: what posture does this workstation make likely? This shifts attention from simply correcting the employee to examining the relationship between the person, the task, the equipment and the working environment.

Practical considerations for employers and assessors

Look at the posture created by the setup

Observe how the person actually works, rather than assessing individual items in isolation. A technically adjustable chair or monitor does not guarantee that the complete workstation supports the user.

Bring the equipment to the person

Screen, tablet and input-device placement should allow the user to work comfortably without repeatedly moving their head or body towards the equipment. Laptop users may need a separate keyboard and mouse together with a suitable stand or external display.

Consider the task, not just the desk

Reading, video calls, data entry, drawing on a tablet and using multiple screens create different postural demands. Equipment may need to be repositioned as the task changes.

Provide adjustability and choice

A workstation should support different users and allow changes of position. A single prescribed posture is unlikely to remain comfortable or appropriate throughout the day.

Encourage movement and variation

Even a well-supported posture can become uncomfortable when maintained for too long. Regular changes of position, task variation and short movement breaks remain fundamental parts of good DSE practice.

Pay particular attention to home and mobile working

Dining tables, sofas, kitchen counters and improvised laptop arrangements can impose postures that the worker gradually accepts as normal. Assessment should explore what the environment is encouraging the person to do, not merely whether equipment is present.

Avoiding the ‘perfect posture’ trap

The research should not be interpreted as evidence that employees must sit upright at all times. Nor does it show that slouching causes poor judgement, that standing desks improve decision-making or that an expansive posture produces safer or more productive workers. The behavioural task was artificial and the study did not examine workplace performance, discomfort, injury or long-term health outcomes.

The participant group also limits how widely the findings can be applied. Participants were predominantly young women, many were students, and the study took place in a laboratory. The authors acknowledge that the study was not preregistered and that research on posture and psychological feedback has experienced replication difficulties. Further research in real workplaces and with more diverse populations is needed.

Good ergonomic practice therefore remains centred on fit, comfort, adjustability, movement and the needs of the individual. The value of this study is that it broadens the conversation: the physical environment may do more than produce physical sensations. It can subtly shape how people hold themselves and possibly how they feel and respond.

Design the environment, not just the instruction

Telling someone to ‘sit properly’ treats posture as a personal choice. Posture is often a response to the environment. If equipment is awkwardly positioned, people will usually adapt themselves to it, frequently without noticing.

The most useful workplace lesson from this emerging research is therefore simple: observe what the workstation is asking the body to do.

By designing equipment and tasks around the person, employers can support comfort, movement and effective work without relying on employees to continually correct a setup that is working against them.

We’re here to help

If you have any questions about what this research could mean for your organisation, or if you would like to explore how Cardinus can help you ensure your employees are provided with a safe, healthy and productive working environment, our ergonomics team is here to support you. Contact us today.

Reference

Wainio-Theberge, S. and Armony, J. (2026). Manipulating posture implicitly through environmental constraints influences mood and risk-taking behaviour. British Journal of Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.70083