Nine Damaging Postures You Should Avoid While Using Your Smartphone and Laptop

You are probably addicted to your smartphone. And the internet. And maybe even your tablet and laptop, too.

And that’s fine. At least, we don’t personally care if you’re addicted (we sure are). But we are worried about your posture—and so is Steelcase.

The company recently released a study that outlines new postures caused by modern technology. It shouldn’t surprise you to learn that smartphones, tablets, and ultra-portable laptops—all very new devices—have taken over most workplaces. As a result, they’ve also dramatically altered our habits. For the worse.

“We undertook a global posture study in 11 countries, observing 2,000 people in a wide range of postures, and uncovered nine new postures as a result of new technologies and behaviors,” explains Steelcase. “We studied how the human body interacts with technologies and how it responds as workers shift from one device to another. Research revealed ergonomic implications that, if not adequately addressed, can cause pain and discomfort for workers.”

Here’s a visual of the nine deadly postures:

“Because these new postures are not adequately supported, workers are uncomfortable, in pain, and doing long-term harm to their bodies,” the study says. “While technology boosts productivity, it can cause pain that disrupts our work, our ability to concentrate, and our creativity.”

Keep in mind Steelcase makes chairs built to use modern technology with proper posture, so the study may carry some bias. But work all day using your smartphone, tablet, and laptop and tell us you don’t at least once engage in one or more of these postures (without lying!). You can’t.

Mind your back, folks. You only have one of them.

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