How many Michael Jackson songs do you think became Number one hits? How tall do you think the Eiffel Tower is? How good is your posture? Believe it or not, how you sit or stand could affect your answers. Because a new study finds that out estimates are skilled by the position of our bodies. The work is in the journal Psychological Science. Dutch researchers rigged a balance board to subtly tilt left, right, or remain flat while students stood on the board and answered estimation questions. In order to prevent the students from perceiving a bias, they were told to stand up straight and a screen informed them taht they were upright even when their bodies were actually leaning to one side. When the board tilted  the participants leaned left, their estimations were smaller than when they were standing up or leaning right. The fact that posture affected participants answers indicateds that the decision-making process isn't rational as it may feel. Amazingly enough, unconscious factors like tilting your body can also tilt your best guess. 

Thanks for the minute for Scientific American, 60-second science. I'm Sophie Bushwick.