Chin up, shoulders back, chest out: the lost significance of simple sayings

How the wisdom of age-old adages can boost self-confidence in children

“A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind.”

- Morihei Ueshiba

Chest out, chin-up, shoulders back is more than a grandfatherly adage. It contains time-honoured wisdom that predates books and is psychologically linked to million-year-old biological mechanisms. It’s beneficial for children to appreciate the importance of how we are viewed in the world and that portraying confidence, bluffed or not, determines how others interact with us, what personalities we attract and the impact on future relationships.

More and more children walk around slouched, with their heads down and shoulders rounded; the excessive amount of time spent on phones and laptops is a significant contributor to this, but it’s also a symptom of a much deeper problem.

Child Crisis in Confidence

We spend so much energy protecting children from the slightest mental or physical agitation that we have stopped focusing on how to empower them with the tactics necessary to take on challenges confidently. Instead, they are instructed to shy away from obstacles, complain when teased and expect adults to resolve the slightest of conflicts. As children gain increasing access to the virtual world, they also spend less time observing body language, social cues and real-life interactions.

The Psychology of Posture

“Believe you can and you’re half way there” - Theodore Roosevelt

Children who hunch, look through their eyebrows and shrink into themselves are perceived as vulnerable, insecure and submissive. This is due to our evolutionary defence mechanism, which has us shrink to hide away from potential predators and protect our jugular and vital organs. The extreme version is being curled up in a ball when terrified or inconsolably upset.

In contrast, keeping your chin up, shoulders back and chest out is synonymous with confidence and competence. It demonstrates, to yourself and others, that you are ready to take on society and its challenges, despite your vulnerabilities and the inevitable risk of failure. In addition, it gives children a clear plan for dealing with inevitable defeat. Battles to one’s social standing are constant, whether it’s from peers, adults or otherwise, and armed with the blueprint to bounce back, children are better able to avoid the spiral of despair.

A confident stature alone isn’t enough, but it at least decreases the likelihood that others assume the opposite, which is a significantly more favourable starting point.

Serotonin and shoulders

“The part of the brain that recognises our hierarchical social status is older than trees” - J.B. Peterson

Whether it is humans, apes, bears or lobsters, serotonin production in the brain, heavily influences an animal’s perceived hierarchical status in the community in which they participate. Even children are aware of this; they recognise how they are treated by their peers. Encouraging a confident posture improves this perception, increases positive engagement and therefore, promotes serotonin production. Therefore, whether or not the self-belief is there to begin with, chest out, shoulders back can kick-start a serotonin cycle of confidence that chemically boosts a child’s social standing.

On the other hand, children who perceive themselves as lower in social status compared to their surroundings have restricted serotonin production, which can increase anxiety and, as anxious children are more susceptible to criticism, inhibit emotional regulation, potentially provoking more negative social interactions.

Falling into this negative feedback loop can eventually cause depressive symptoms like worthlessness and social withdrawal, hence why anti-depressants are used to artificially increase serotonin levels. However, taking steps to break the cycle can

Perfecting a self-assured swagger is one way of effectively building psychologically resilient kids, especially when combined with other lifestyle adaptations such as developing self-discipline, promoting regular exercise and adopting self-improvement strategies. This can snowball as children are emboldened by positive responses, which reduces future anxiety and makes it easier to pay attention to social cues, therefore, improving overall confidence in their communication skills.