Sitting upright may help in tests

WASHINGTON - A study by researchers at San Francisco State University found that a simple change in posture may improve students' performance in tests.

In the study published this month in NeuroRegulation journal, 125 college students were tested to see how well they could perform simple math, subtracting 7 from 843 sequentially for 15 seconds, while either slumped over or sitting up straight with shoulders back and relaxed.

Fifty-six percent of the students reported finding it easier to perform the math in the upright position, according to the study.