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It’s not so much just mechanics as a state of mind. In my experience, if you keep looking at the ground you are in your head doubting yourself all the time, whe

by deno 8y ago

It’s not so much just mechanics as a state of mind. In my experience, if you keep looking at the ground you are in your head doubting yourself all the time, whereas just looking at other people prevents that and somehow gives you more confidence. That said, proper posture also relaxes your body and an upward head tilt (make sure your monitor is at an eye level) makes breathing easier, even further adding to that[1][2]. Also prevents back pain issues later in life (I hope!). Don’t treat it as gospel but it’s a good starting place: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/business/soothing-back-pain-by-learning-how-to-sit-again.html https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/business/soothing-back-pa... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gokhale_Method https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gokhale_Method [1] Seriously try tilting your head toward the ceiling right now and take a breath. Then do the same looking at the ground. Now consider you keep one of those postures for many daylight hours every day. It has to have a profound impact on your QoL, there’s no way around it. [2] Also used in First Aid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_tilt/Chin_lift https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_tilt/Chin_lift

Fnoord 8y ago
There's a variety of reasons why people look at the ground. For me, for one, I got cats, I don't wanna trip over them. Especially not with my kid. I tend to bump my feet a lot on my kid's toys and other stuff or objects lying on the ground (even permanently or slightly moved). And I need to be careful when I walk downstairs because I am clumsy. I hate, absolutely hate, stepping into dog shit when I'm out and about. If I'd step on a slug, that'd be disgusting but dog shit is a whole different level. And its rampant here. Finally, many 'normal' people use smartphones whilst on the move (I personally generally don't). That being said, I do try to look straight, I try to look people in the eye, but that's secondary to the above examples. Which are IMO related to survival and conveniency. As for your linked Wikipedia article, quoting from it: "However, one of the main assumptions of the Gokhale Method, that people in less industrialized societies have less back pain,[4] is incorrect: mainstream science states back pain occurs to a similar extent in all cultures.[20][21] As of June 2015, the Gokhale method had not yet been scientifically studied." Furthermore I encourage the reader to read up on the Feldenkrais method. This Wikipedia entry shows how controversial it is (Gokhale method seems to be based on that). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldenkrais_Method https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldenkrais_Method
- deno 8y ago
  I don’t know anything about it. But just looking at this photo[1] it looks like some hipster bullshit. Gokhale’s techniques deal purely with posture and are immensely useful just to avoid or reduce any back pain. It’s just a way to sit or sleep while keeping straight upright posture effortlessly for long periods of time. I can probably explain the sitting techniques to someone in about 15 minutes and ignore the other 80% of the book and still improve their life in a significant way. I recommend the book because it has decent pictures and shows historical examples of proper posture. Everything she shows looks like a natural position for a human to be in, very much unlike whatever’s going on in that picture. Anyway like I said it’s more about where YOU are consciously. Are you in your head thinking or are you in the moment just walking and looking at the world around you. The posture etc. follows that, you don’t have to actively think about it. That’s why the meme in question selects it as a signal for confidence. Furthermore, you have peripheral vision and your brain constantly inspects and maps your surroundings. It will not let you trip over things if you just look ahead. EDIT: Also I don’t know what the Wikipedia editors are smoking. The references for that “incorrect” statement are a complete joke. Gokhale actually provides ample evidence for this assertion in the book if you want to check it yourself. [1] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Feldenkrais_Awareness_Through_Movement_Lesson.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Feldenkr...
GuB-42 8y ago
Posture is a controversial subject. While it is undoubtedly important, there is a lot of pseudo-science built around it. Especially when it comes to linking posture and mindset. As for looking down, I found that looking at people feet makes it easier to navigate a crowd, that's the opposite it open areas.
- deno 8y ago
  > Posture is a controversial subject. While it is undoubtedly important, there is a lot of pseudo-science built around it. Especially when it comes to linking posture and mindset. I don’t see a lot of exceptions to this rule. Generally, I can judge someone’s state of mind by their posture and body language. The notion that body and mind are not very much connected actually seems more controversial to me if anything. Indeed, in evolutionary time scale, speech has not been the primary mode of communication for very long. > As for looking down, I found that looking at people feet makes it easier to navigate a crowd, that's the opposite it open areas. I find it if I look people in the eye I don’t actually have to “navigate” anything.

by deno 8y ago

Fnoord 8y ago

There's a variety of reasons why people look at the ground. For me, for one, I got cats, I don't wanna trip over them. Especially not with my kid. I tend to bump my feet a lot on my kid's toys and other stuff or objects lying on the ground (even permanently or slightly moved). And I need to be careful when I walk downstairs because I am clumsy. I hate, absolutely hate, stepping into dog shit when I'm out and about. If I'd step on a slug, that'd be disgusting but dog shit is a whole different level. And its rampant here. Finally, many 'normal' people use smartphones whilst on the move (I personally generally don't). That being said, I do try to look straight, I try to look people in the eye, but that's secondary to the above examples. Which are IMO related to survival and conveniency. As for your linked Wikipedia article, quoting from it: "However, one of the main assumptions of the Gokhale Method, that people in less industrialized societies have less back pain,[4] is incorrect: mainstream science states back pain occurs to a similar extent in all cultures.[20][21] As of June 2015, the Gokhale method had not yet been scientifically studied." Furthermore I encourage the reader to read up on the Feldenkrais method. This Wikipedia entry shows how controversial it is (Gokhale method seems to be based on that). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldenkrais_Method https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldenkrais_Method

deno 8y ago
I don’t know anything about it. But just looking at this photo[1] it looks like some hipster bullshit. Gokhale’s techniques deal purely with posture and are immensely useful just to avoid or reduce any back pain. It’s just a way to sit or sleep while keeping straight upright posture effortlessly for long periods of time. I can probably explain the sitting techniques to someone in about 15 minutes and ignore the other 80% of the book and still improve their life in a significant way. I recommend the book because it has decent pictures and shows historical examples of proper posture. Everything she shows looks like a natural position for a human to be in, very much unlike whatever’s going on in that picture. Anyway like I said it’s more about where YOU are consciously. Are you in your head thinking or are you in the moment just walking and looking at the world around you. The posture etc. follows that, you don’t have to actively think about it. That’s why the meme in question selects it as a signal for confidence. Furthermore, you have peripheral vision and your brain constantly inspects and maps your surroundings. It will not let you trip over things if you just look ahead. EDIT: Also I don’t know what the Wikipedia editors are smoking. The references for that “incorrect” statement are a complete joke. Gokhale actually provides ample evidence for this assertion in the book if you want to check it yourself. [1] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Feldenkrais_Awareness_Through_Movement_Lesson.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Feldenkr...

GuB-42 8y ago

Posture is a controversial subject. While it is undoubtedly important, there is a lot of pseudo-science built around it. Especially when it comes to linking posture and mindset. As for looking down, I found that looking at people feet makes it easier to navigate a crowd, that's the opposite it open areas.

deno 8y ago
> Posture is a controversial subject. While it is undoubtedly important, there is a lot of pseudo-science built around it. Especially when it comes to linking posture and mindset. I don’t see a lot of exceptions to this rule. Generally, I can judge someone’s state of mind by their posture and body language. The notion that body and mind are not very much connected actually seems more controversial to me if anything. Indeed, in evolutionary time scale, speech has not been the primary mode of communication for very long. > As for looking down, I found that looking at people feet makes it easier to navigate a crowd, that's the opposite it open areas. I find it if I look people in the eye I don’t actually have to “navigate” anything.