attitudeposture

Attitudeposture is a coined term describing the relationship between a person’s posture and their attitudinal state. It encompasses observable body position, openness of stance, and gesture use, reflecting or signaling attitudes such as confidence, openness, resistance, or interest.

Rooted in nonverbal communication and embodied cognition, attitudeposture posits that posture and attitude influence one another and shape how others perceive a speaker or participant. Expansive postures are frequently associated with confidence, while closed postures may signal defensiveness or doubt.

Researchers study attitudeposture through video coding of posture, self-report measures of attitude, and experiments that manipulate body position to observe effects on attitude and behavior. Sensor-based methods and cross-cultural comparisons are also used to assess reliability and context effects.

Applications appear in leadership development, education, therapy, and customer service, where posture awareness can support clearer communication, credibility, and rapport. Training often emphasizes authenticity while adopting posture cues linked to desired attitudes.

Limitations include cultural variation in posture norms, physical constraints, and the risk of misinterpreting cues. Attitudeposture is one among many indicators of attitude, and conclusions should consider the broader communicative context.

See also: nonverbal communication, embodied cognition, posture analysis, body language, interpersonal perception.