question: Why do you feel more comfortable when you have your feet up on a footrest/table ect.
comment: Your blood has to fight gravity when you’re standing or sitting with your feet on the ground. When they are elevated it’s less effort and there fore your legs are relaxed. You’re not the only one, I agree with you.
passages: Most raised surfaces at the appropriate height can be used as seats for humans, whether they are made for the purpose, such as chairs, stools and benches, or not. While the buttocks are nearly always rested on the raised surface, there are many differences in how one can hold one's legs and back.
  
  There are two major styles of sitting on a raised surface. The first has one or two of the legs in front of the sitting person; in the second, sitting astride something, the legs incline outwards on either side of the body.
   The feet can rest on the floor or on a footrest, which can keep them vertical, horizontal, or at an angle in between. They can also dangle if the seat is sufficiently high. Legs can be kept right to the front of the body, spread apart, or one crossed over the other.
  
  The upper body can be held upright, recline to either side or backward, or one can lean forward.
  
  Section::::Positions.:Yoga, traditions, and spirituality.
  
  There are many seated positions in various traditions and rituals. Four examples are:
   Some chairs have foot rests. Around 15% of women and 2% of men need foot rests, even at the chair height. A stool or other simple chair may have a simple straight or curved bar near the bottom for the sitter to place his or her feet on.
  
  Some chairs have two curved bands of wood (also known as rockers) attached to the bottom of the legs. They are called rocking chairs.
   According to Opsvik the feet are the ignored extremities of ergonomics. As our feet and legs have the responsibility for moving us in all situations it seemed natural for Opsvik to make sure that the chair respond to and is controlled by the feet.
  
  Section::::Essential concepts.
   Section::::Proxemics.
  
  Proxemics study the amount of space people feel necessary to have between themselves and others. 
  
  Crowding and Personal Space
  
  In this field of study the phenomenon of territoriality is demonstrated continuously through unwritten indices and behaviours, which communicate, the conscious or subconscious notions of personal space and territoriality. This phenomenon is seen, for example, through the use of public seating and the empty seats on a crowded bus or train. 
   Ergonomic design distributes the weight of the occupant to various parts of the body. A seat that is higher results in dangling feet and increased pressure on the underside of the knees ("popliteal fold"). It may also result in no weight on the feet which means more weight elsewhere. A lower seat may shift too much weight to the "seat bones" ("ischial tuberosities").
   For adjustable chairs, such as an office chair, the aforementioned principles are applied in adjusting the chair to the individual occupant. Caster wheels are attached to the feet of chairs to give more mobility. Gas springs are attached to the body of the chair in order to give height adjustment and more comfort to the user.
  
  Section::::Design and ergonomics.:Armrests.
   Standing chair
  
  A standing chair is a tall support for the body — a modified chair or stool — designed for standing work or to reduce fatigue.
  
  The precursors of standing chairs are chairs that relieve sitting discomfort by providing a more open angle between thighs and torso: traditional architects' tall stools, bar stools, and more recent bar-height tables in restaurants.
   Section::::Applications.
   “ Crowding occurs when the regulation of social interaction is unsuccessful and our desires for social interaction are exceeded by the actual amount of social interaction experienced.” 
  
  Studies observing social behaviours and psychology have indicated, such as in the case for commuters that people will seek to maximise personal space whether standing or sitting.
   Table tops can be in virtually any shape, although rectangular, square, round (e.g. the round table), and oval tops are the most frequent. Others have higher surfaces for personal use while either standing or sitting on a tall stool.
   While height of most seated desks is standardized, standing desks are made in many different heights ranging from . Ideally the height of a standing desk fits the height of its individual user. With seated desks, adjusting the height relative to the user can be accomplished by adjusting the height of the user's chair. However, because users of a standing desk move around more than when seated, using a pedestal to adjust the user's height is not practical.
   This type of footstool is used to provide comfort to a person seated, for example, in a chair or sofa. It is typically a short, wide, four-legged stool. The top is upholstered and padded in a fabric or animal hide, such as leather. This type of footstool is also a type of ottoman. It allows the seated person to rest their feet upon it, supporting the legs at a mostly horizontal level, thus giving rise to the alternate term "footrest". High quality footstools are height–adjustable.
  
  Section::::Function.
   Section::::In humans.
  
  Lordosis behavior became secondary in hominidae and is non-functional in humans. There is no human analogue to the lordosis reflex, although lordosis-like positions can be observed in women being mounted from behind. 
   BULLET::::- If two people of different social standings talk to each other, the person with a higher position usually takes a more relaxed attitude. Their posture may be unbalanced, relaxed, and may appear to be nonchalant. A person with a lower position often maintains symmetrical posture by placing both hands on their lap or at their sides.
  
  BULLET::::- Typically, a person with higher status sits down and talks while sitting. A person of lower status may stand or they may remain standing until they are asked to sit.
  
  Section::::Analysis.:Changing factors.:Erect Posture and impact on mood and activity performance.
   Saarinen said: "The undercarriage of chairs and tables in a typical interior makes an ugly, confusing, unrestful world. I wanted to clear up the slum of legs. I wanted to make the chair all one thing again."
   The kick space became more common in the 20th century. With a burgeoning middle class and advancements in industry and domesticity, countertops became a more prominent work surface. Whereas previously most standing crafts were done at tables, there developed a need for a work counter to which one could comfortably stand directly adjacent. As the name would suggest, the kick space provides a space in which one's toes can rest.
   In place of a built-in footrest, some chairs come with a matching ottoman. An ottoman is a short stool that is intended to be used as a footrest but can sometimes be used as a stool. If matched to a glider chair, the ottoman may be mounted on swing arms so that the ottoman rocks back and forth with the main glider.
   Popular countries supporting this growth travel niche, include the UK, US, Canada, Australia & New Zealand, but can include any smaller destination where expats and retirees have created new communities. Word of mouth recommendation, a booming number of world travelers, retirees and nomad workers looking for alternative accommodation options, are all contributing to the growth of the house sitting industry. Imagine Housesitting in Europe. It has now become a major destination for longer term housesitters.
  
  Section::::Practicalities - how house sitting works.
   Section::::Availability.
   Riding-like sitting or balanced seating is the most suitable position for long periods of sitting. Forward sloping seats and higher desks can eliminate lower back strain and even prevent chronic back pain. It also relieves pressure on the lungs and stomach and provides greater mobility. The advantages compared to conventional furniture in terms of pain, flexion and comfort are documented in several scientific studies starting with research by A C Mandal, MD, and recently reviewed, updated and discussed by T Mandal with several references to research and the revised European (CEN) standards for educational furniture that includes balanced seating options.
   Cross legged sitting helps create a stable base for meditation. Several seated asanas are practiced such as full lotus, half lotus, easy crossed legs, or siddhasana ("perfect pose"). Sitting on the heels is possible, among other positions. Seated meditation cushions are often used to help extend meditative time and serve to elevate the hips and spine into proper alignment
   The idea of adjustable beds has been around since the Roman Empire when the emperors, senators, and elite would gather for meals by laying on their sides. The structure of these beds looked like today's outdoor furniture, for example, lawn chairs. They did not have the adjustability that lawn furniture has, but the concept and design of having the head raised higher than the rest of the body were clearly there for comfort.
   The majority of chairs, stools, wheelchairs, and adaptive seating commercially available today still tends to be static, that is, they limit or restrict active postural movement. However, new options for seating are emerging. These innovative products are at the forefront of a new wave of office furniture and adaptive seating device options. These products typically allow some freedom of movement that encourages the human occupant to assume a more dynamic posture. These products may allow the seat and/or backrest to tilt in such a way that it follows and conforms to the movements and physical shape of the seated occupant. In this way, the seating enables dynamic sitting, which enhances functional movement and prevents the physical discomfort and potential bodily damage due to prolonged static sitting.
   Concerns arising from the results of this study suggest that small deviations in increased seat density, controlled against income stress, would elevate the log of cortisol (i.e. stress levels) and diminish task performance and mood.
  
  Section::::Proxemics.:Relationships between People.
  