Feeling discouraged is a common experience. Stress, worries, or fatigue can cause the body to contract almost without us realizing it. We drop our head, bring our shoulders forward, and adopt a closed posture that seems to reflect how we feel on the inside. Yet, according to neuroscientist Ana Ibáñez, this process also works in reverse: the way we position our bodies can influence brain activity and help modify our emotional state.
The expert argues that one of the simplest and quickest changes to begin reclaiming energy is to pay attention to body posture. In one of her public outreach talks, she explains that the brain continuously interprets signals it receives from the body and uses them to adjust our internal state.
Body posture sends a direct message to the brain
Ana Ibáñez explains that when a person curls up, “becomes a little ball,” or takes on a small, compact stance, the brain interprets that position as a signal of vulnerability. It’s a nonverbal language that communicates a need for protection and tends to keep the organism in a state of alertness or discouragement.
The neuroscientist notes that “if you curl up or make yourself tiny, you are sending your brain a message that you are vulnerable at that moment, that you need protection.” By contrast, she recommends the opposite exercise: “even if you might be feeling the same sense of exposure, force yourself, instead of curling up, to expand, roll your shoulders back, and anchor yourself firmly to the ground with a presence and a sense of power.”
According to her explanation, the brain immediately interprets that new information: “Your brain will read that posture and say: I felt weak, but the posture I’m reading is the one I associate with strength.” That conflict between emotion and bodily signal creates a dilemma for the brain and begins to alter energy and brain frequencies.
Breathing and posture, two tools to change the emotional state
Ana Ibáñez also emphasizes that “the posture pattern and the breathing pattern are the most direct ways to change emotional states.” Both continuously send information to the nervous system and can help reduce the feeling of blockage or apathy.
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James Whitaker
I’m James Whitaker, a UK-based journalist focused on emerging trends and everyday stories gaining attention across the country. I cover the topics people start talking about before they fully break into the mainstream. My work aims to stay clear, factual, and closely connected to how news is actually consumed today.