If you’re extremely dominant, or amongst exceptionally good friends in an
informal setting, you can get away with being horizontal. In the first case, you
don’t care what people think and say, and in the second case you know that
you’re safe with friends and trusted family members.People in a supine position find that their thinking process is expansive –
their thoughts free to meander and flow. In an upright position, thoughts are
sharper, clearer, and more coherent. You need both styles of thinking in order
to explore all possibilities fully.With the baby boomer and subsequent generations, people’s posture has
become more relaxed. Before World War II, people behaved more formally.
Their clothes were structured and restrictive. After the war, fashions
changed. With the advent of blue jeans as a wardrobe staple, our gestures
and body placements reflect the new, relaxed atmosphere. People now move
with more ease and less restriction because of the flexibility and freedom
their clothes permit.You need a partner to do this with. Ask the other person to lie on the floor
while you stand over him, accentuating the height difference. Give the person
lying on the floor as loud and powerful a telling off as you can. Change posi-
tions, with you now lying on the floor looking up at your partner standing
over you. Repeat the reprimand. You find that your voice lacks force and
you’ve no authority.Vertically .............................................................................................
A person positioning himself lower than you is demonstrating a subordinate
position. Someone standing above you is sending dominant signals. Whether
you position yourself high or low, you’re telling people where you stand in
the pecking order. Kings and Queens are referred to as ‘Your Highness’.
Crooks, robbers, and other unsavoury characters are labelled ‘low life’.
People talk about the ‘upper classes’ and the ‘lower classes’. The higher up
you go, the more perceived status and authority you have. The lower down
the scale, the less influence you wield.Lowering yourself
In order to make himself appear small and deferential, a man removes his hat
or tips his head when meeting someone in a position of higher authority.
Women curtsey, in a sign of deference and respect when meeting royalty. Men
and women genuflect or bow their heads upon entering a church, and kneel
for prayer. Beggars sit on the ground. When their eyes look downwards,
they’re at their lowest.208 Part IV: Putting the Body into Social and Business Context