How Posture and Mood Are Connected – And How Chiropractic Can Help

As chiropractors, we spend a lot of time looking at posture. But we also see patients who struggle with low mood or depression. Are these two issues connected? According to Dr. Michael Hall, they are—and chiropractic care can play a bigger role than you might think.

We know the right side of the brain helps control posture. But it also handles empathy, social connection, and emotional care. This means that posture and mental wellbeing are deeply linked.

Dr. Hall gives a simple example:“If you see someone walking tall with their head held high, do they seem depressed?” Probably not. Good posture can reflect a mindset that’s outward-focused—someone who’s thinking about others, not just themselves.

And here’s the interesting part: Helping others—like volunteering—can improve posture. Why? Because it activates the right side of the brain, the same part involved in emotional connection and upright posture.

“This isn’t just about pressing your head against a wall,” says Hall. “One of the best things for posture is helping someone else. That activates your brain more than typical posture exercises.”

Here’s a quick guide to how our brain works:

• Right side: Love, empathy, manners, social connection, posture

• Left side: Details, logic, fine motor skills

When the right side is engaged, it sets the tone for the left side, where happiness lives—in the left prefrontal cortex. If the right side isn’t stimulated (for example, if we feel socially isolated), it can lead to poor posture and low mood. But if we feel connected and supported, both posture and happiness improve.

This is where chiropractic care becomes especially powerful.

How Chiropractic Adjustments Create Positive Effects

Chiropractic care doesn’t just help the spine—it also helps the brain. Here's how:

• Adjustments activate the right side of the brain, which is involved in both emotional wellbeing and posture.

• They increase blood flow (perfusion) to the brain, especially to areas that manage mood and stress.

• They reduce chronic pain, which can otherwise drain mental energy and decrease brain function.

“Stress reduces perfusion of the prefrontal cortex,” says Hall. “But a chiropractic adjustment increases it. Chronic pain decreases function in the frontal lobes. Chiropractic can reverse that by reducing pain and improving circulation.”

Even the simple act of a chiropractor touching and caring for a patient makes a difference. It can bring a sense of hope, support, and motivation—something many people lack in stressful or isolated lives.

“When a chiropractor puts their hand on you,” Hall says, “they add hope to your life. You leave not only feeling better physically, but emotionally. Someone cares about you. That matters.”

The Bigger Picture: Chiropractic as Part of a Support System

Social support is a huge factor in emotional wellbeing. Research by Noreen Goldman shows that people with strong, stable social connections deal with stress better, have better cognitive function, and even live longer.

By building caring, consistent relationships with their patients, chiropractors can become part of that social support network.

So not only do adjustments help your spine—they help your brain, your mood, and your motivation. That’s a powerful combination.

In Summary

• Good posture and mental health are linked through the right side of the brain.

• Helping others and receiving support activates brain regions tied to happiness.

• Chiropractic care supports both brain and body, improving posture, reducing stress, and lifting mood.

• A caring chiropractor can become a meaningful part of someone’s emotional support system