Science
Good Body Posture Can Help Boost A Student’s Math Scores- Study
New study claims students can score good marks in math by improving their body posture
It is well known that good posture is beneficial for your bones and muscles. A new study has claimed that students, who have a mathematics phobia, can score good marks in the subject by slightly improving their body posture.
According to a study conducted by a team of researchers from San Francisco State University in the US, a simple change of body posture can help boost a student’s math scores, especially if they are known to fear the subject.
For the purpose of the study, the researchers recruited 125 college students and tested them on how well they performed simple math while either slumped over or sitting up straight with good posture, shoulders back and relaxed. They were tasked with subtracting 7 from 843 sequentially for 15 seconds.
Prior to the study, the participants were asked to fill out an anonymous questionnaire in order to rate their anxiety levels while taking exams and performing math. The study found that that 56 percent of the participants found it easier to solve the math problem when sitting in an upright position. While students who had no maths anxiety noticed that doing maths while slumped over was more difficult.
According to Professor Erik Peper, from San Francisco State University, posture can make a great difference for students who are anxious about maths. He added that the slumped-over position shuts them down and their brain does not work that well and they cannot think as clearly.
Study co-author and associate professor Richard Harvey claim that slumping over is a defensive posture that can trigger old negative memories in the body and brain.
Researchers are hopeful that the latest findings will help people prepare for many different types of performance under stress, not only math tests. Public speakers, musicians, and even athletes can benefit from better posture prior to and during their performance.
The study titled “Do better in math: How your body posture may change stereotype threat response” has been published in the journal NeuroRegulation.
