Who You Vote For: It’s Your Posture, Stupid

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People practice yoga on the morning of the summer solstice in New York's Times Square June 21, 2010. The eighth annual "Solstice in Times Square" event on Monday brought out thousands of participants to celebrate the year's longest day. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: SOCIETY ANNIVERSARY)

From the height of a politician to rain on election day, social scientists have long tried to figure out  why we vote the way we do.  But now it turns out it could all be down to our posture.  

A Princeton University study reveals leaning left physically may make you lean that way politically, too, reports the Economist.

Social scientists Dr Daniel Oppenheimer and Thomas Trail set out to see if orienting people towards their left or right sides shifts their political opinions.

In their first experiment, 112 people squeezed a hand-grip for five seconds and  were then asked two questions: “To what extent do you agree with Democrats on political issues?” and “To what extent do you agree with Republicans on political issues?

Those participants asked to squeeze the grip with their left hand scored higher when asked if they agreed with Democrats than those who were asked to squeeze with their right hands scored.

In the second experiment, a total of 31 volunteers sat in chairs that had been altered to lean either slightly left or slightly right. While seated, these volunteers were asked the same questions as the hand-grip squeezers. The findings were similar to those for the hand grip squeezers: People who sat leaning to the left agreed with the Democrats more than those who sat leaning to the right.

The study, which is published in Social Cognition this October, adds to the mounting evidence that voter behavior is irrational and that factors totally unrelated to politics decide who gets in to office.

So perhaps the phrase “left-leaning liberal” may not just be an expression after all.