Study: The Pose of a Champion is Innate A Sighted athlete
showing pride after an Olympic triumph. This response may have
evolved as an survival skill. CREDIT: PNAS/Tracy & Matsumoto/Bob
Willingham Everyone knows what an Olympic champion looks like,
and apparently, how to behave like one. It turns out that the
stereotypical image of a victor — head tilted back, chest puffed
out and arms in the air — may be an innate human response to
success. A new study found that blind athletes who have never
seen such a display make similar gestures of pride as sighted
athletes when they win, and also slump their shoulders and
narrow their chests in shame when they lose. The findings imply
that expressions of pride and shame may have evolved to be
programmed into human behavior. Researchers Jessica Tracy of the
University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and David
Matsumoto of San Francisco State University analyzed photographs
taken during judo competitions in the 2004 Olympic and
Paralympic Games. They found that