Body Language of Triumph Will Be on Display at Olympics

HealthDay – 1 hr 12 mins ago THURSDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- As Olympians take to the world stage in London this week, watch the body language of the gold medalists for clues to their feelings of triumph and pride.

Those athletes who throw their arms above their head, clench their fists and grimace -- a universal expression of triumph -- are not to be confused with those expressing pride by tilting their head back, holding their arms out from their body and smiling, researchers say.

"We found that displays of triumph include different behaviors to those of pride, and occur more immediately after a victory or win," David Matsumoto, a professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, said in a university news release. "Triumph has its own signature expression that is immediate, automatic and universal across cultures."

One of the differences between triumph and pride is seen in the face, Matsumoto said.

"When someone feels triumphant after a contest or challenge, their face can look quite aggressive," he said. "It's like Michael Phelps's reaction after winning the 2008 Olympics. It looks quite different to the small smile we see when someone is showing pride."

In conducting the study, the researchers showed people from the United States and South Korea pictures of judo athletes from 17 countries who had just won a medal match at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Research has shown that South Korean culture downplays individual achievement and displays of emotion.

The participants consistently labeled the pictures of grimacing or yelling athletes with their arms raised and fists clenched as triumph. Meanwhile, the photos of athletes with their arms out at their sides, hands open and head tilted back were labeled as pride. The athletes in the "pride" photos, the researchers pointed out, were also smiling.

The study also showed that expressions of triumph occurred, on average, four seconds after the athletes won a match. Displays of pride, however, occurred an average of 16 seconds after the match ended.

Expressions of triumph are an immediate reflection of a person's success, the study's authors explained. Expressions of pride, on the other hand, come later since they reflect how the athletes feel about themselves.

"Watch that immediate reaction in the first few seconds after an athlete has won their medal match -- no matter what the sport is -- and you'll see this triumph response from athletes all around the world, regardless of culture," Matsumoto said.

Expressions of triumph, the authors concluded, may have played a role in evolution by helping people in early societies demonstrate their status or dominance.

The study will be published in the September issue of the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

More information

The University of California at Santa Cruz more information on nonverbal communication.

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IHASCO Introduce the National Display Screen Equipment Training Month

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2012.

(1888PressRelease) May 27, 2012 - The Interactive Health and Safety Company (iHASCO), a leading UK supplier of Health and Safety training, have taken the initiative and made May the month to get on top of workplace DSE training - optimising seating position and workstation layout, screen position, keyboard and mouse use to help prevent headaches, eyestrain and health problems associated with poor posture. The beauty of our DSE training is its simplicity - a small adjustment to your chair backrest could make all the difference.

Are you sitting comfortably? How often do we really think about how we sit at work? In our hectic daily schedule, it's often just a case of get to the office, sit down, head down and get on with it. But everyone who habitually uses a computer at work, even if they work from home should have Display Screen Equipment Training - it's the law and it really makes sense. Each year statistics from the Health and Safety Executive bear out concerns with the most commonly reported illnesses - the sort of problems exacerbated by poor posture and typing position, such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) - accounting for more than half of all absences from work. Last year that was about 9 million days lost. That's a LOT of time off!

Bradley Worsfold, director of the Interactive Health and Safety Company warns that: "The majority of people don't realise the long-term damage their sitting position could be doing to their backs. It's because the discs that make up your back have very little nerve supply, so any pressure or stress from poor posture aren't felt straightaway - in fact you may not feel anything for a long time, the problem simply builds and builds over time and then all of a sudden an awkward movement can result in agony. A simple adjustment to your workstation layout may be all that's needed to help you sit with a better posture and that's one of the areas highlighted in our DSE training programme."

The exponential rise in the use of computers and the very static nature of this sort of work means that a large proportion of people are sitting in relatively stationary positions for much of the day. This is often without taking the time to correctly adjust their chair and screen height or distance, or getting the keyboard and mouse in the right position - it's just storing up problems for the future. If the screen is badly set up with characters which are difficult to see - too small, not sharply formed or with poor contrast, or if your workstation is in such a position that the screen or even the desk surface is subject to glare, eye-strain and headaches can start to become a problem too.

It's the same with laptops; in fact posture can be even more of a challenge when using a laptop. How often do we put a laptop on the seat beside us and then turn sideways to use it? How often do we use a laptop in poor lighting or cramped positions? Display Screen Equipment training should also include looking at noise, lighting, temperature and humidity - the environment should be comfortable to work in. Trying to concentrate with incessant, regular or even irregular loud noise is very distracting and can be extremely stressful. Everyone who works at a desk for a good part of their working day simply needs to spend a few moments at the start of each day ensuring their own comfort.

And why not set May as the month to complete the training, and then remember each May to repeat a full self-assessment of the work area? The Display Screen Equipment Training programme from the Interactive Health and Safety Company is available on free trial. It includes, not only the training required, but also a full personal workstation assessment, the results of which are stored and concerns flagged up in an easy-to-read downloadable format, enabling managers to deal with them promptly. It is available both ONLINE and on CD-ROM. With prices starting at

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Tobacco display ban comes into force in England

"Cigarette packs on display at a kiosk in 2010. A ban on tobacco displays in large shops and supermarkets has come into force in England, meaning such stores must hide cigarettes from public view. (AFP Photo/Gaizka Iroz)" title

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