If you want to get a second date, you better check your posture.
A new study that conducted two separate experiments claims that people with better posture are more likely to have success with dating, whether it is in person or online. In the first part of the study, the researchers examined the effects of having "postural expansiveness," which refers to how much space a person's torso and limbs take up. This type of posture, which can be grouped under "power postures," is often viewed as more dominant.
The researchers analyzed 144 filmed speed-dating sessions and focused on nonverbal variables, such as facial expressions and posture. Everyone who participated in the speed-dating sessions had to fill out a survey afterwards that asked them for their impressions on their potential mates and whether or not they would want to go on a second date.
The researchers found that people with better posture were more likely to be get a second date than people who were hunched over and had their limbs inward as opposed to having their limbs widespread. People who gestured with their hands and moved their arms more were also more successful than those who stayed still.
"We've seen it in the animal world, that taking up more space and maximizing presence in a physical space is used as signal for attracting a mate," said Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk, a co-author of the study. "By exerting dominance they're trying to signal to a potential mate 'I am able to do things, I have a space in this hierarchy, I have access to resources.'"
Vacharkulksemsuk said for humans, having an open posture can be viewed as more inviting, which can be encouraging for a potential mate. She added that research has suggested that many people associate good posture with "confidence, high self-esteem, being open, and being relaxed."
The researchers conducted a second study to see if their findings would apply to online dating. They recruited six heterosexual participants. Each participant had two accounts set up with the only difference being their posture in the photographs. The researchers tracked their success over a weekend and found that people who had expansive postures in their photographs were more likely to get a "yes" than people with more contractive postures. Nearly 3,000 people had responded to the profiles.
"Expansiveness makes the dating candidate appear more dominant. In a dating world in which success sometimes is determined by a split-second decision rendered after a brief interaction or exposure to a static photograph, single persons have very little time to make a good impression," the study authors wrote. "Our research suggests that a nonverbal dominance display increases a person's chances of being selected as a potential mate."
The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
