Ergonomics is commercialized posturology

Ergonomics seems to mostly be “commercialized posturology” these days — that is, it’s the product and marketing division of the “science” of posture. And it’s all the more potent because it contains a legit seed-of-truth — posture and ergonomics aren’t entirely pointless, just over-rated. I think it’s even a pretty good-sized seed, like an avocado pit. But with sooo much bollocks around it.

It’s amazing what quacks can sell without a seed of truth, just an emotionally appealing idea (“one weird trick”), or something that sounds plausible to the ignorant (“quantum”!), or a fascinating sensation (spinal popping).

But when you add an actual nugget of legitimacy? A real baby in the bathwater? An industry is born! An industry powered by claims that reach far beyond that legitimate premise.

Despite the seed of truth, the marketing of ergonomics products is mostly powered by a never-ending supply of hyperbolic hype about the clinical importance of posture.

This is just a wee rant extracted from my posture article after a bit of an edit: Does Posture Matter? A detailed guide to posture and postural correction strategies (especially why none of it matters very much).

From a long dead comic strip, “Office Space,” by Tom Chi & Kevin Cheng