Using a standing desk can have many healthy benefits - reduced back pain, improved circulation, increased calorie burn. Working while on your feet also can have mental health benefits.
Research has shown that slouching over in your chair can send “sad signals” to your brain. Your body is more likely to produce stress hormones when sitting, putting a damper on your mood.
But being on your feet can make a big difference. Standing tall with your shoulders back and head up is a “power pose” that is, well, empowering. According to researchers, when you are standing:
your brain gets a signal that it’s the confident, powerful you in charge of your thinking, and, in turn, you might make more confident choices.
Social psychologist Amy Cuddy has a fascinating TEDTalk about how you can change others’ perceptions of you and your perception of yourself through your posture. Standing in a power pose with elbows slightly out, chin lifted, and shoulders back for just two minutes can generate a 20 percent increase in testosterone and a 25 percent decrease in the stress hormone cortisol. These physical changes can translate into feelings of empowerment.
Standing desk users back up this research with their own experience. In this article, a standing desk user listed feeling empowered as one reason why she recommends using a standing desk:
I’m empowered. When a coworker approaches me about a touchy issue while I’m sitting, I tend to react defensively. When I’m standing, I feel a greater sense of confidence and control.
Here’s a great quote from a Rebel Desk standing desk user expressing similar sentiment:
When I sat at my desk all day, I often felt powerless against my growing to-do list. Now that I stand at my desk most of the time, I feel like I’m in control and checking things off that list.
So if you want to feel productive and empowered too, no need to bust out a superhero cape. Just get on your feet and start working at a standing desk!
Rebel Desk has some gorgeous desks as well, which never hurt with a boost of confidence.