Posture and Gynaecomastia - a mix of head and body
I noticed that since having breasts that I am standing more upright, but not necessarily pushing my chest forward. A couple of other trusted people have noticed something similar.
So was this a physical change (yet another one!) or was something psychological going on?
I turned to ChatGPT for an answer, and it was more nuanced than I expected.
With even quite modest breasts tissue the body's centre of balance changes and the person then learns to accommodate this by making constant subtle changes to the way they walk and stand.
Men frequently adopt a stooped, hunched shoulder posture - I assume I did - and having more weight on the chest makes hunched shoulders feel slightly uncomfortable.
Then there's the bra for support which creates a whole raft of new & different sensations. Slight pressure around the ribcage and support underneath the breasts gives the nervous system information about where the chest is positioned. The response tends to be a more upright and extended posture.
Greater awareness of my own body through what I see and feel, on top of the above signals causes a kind of automatic change in posture in response.
Feeling more comfortable and secure can make anyone stand more confidently. When my bra is making my breasts feel supported and reduces the movement and discomfort, I seem to be simply relaxing into a more upright posture.
So - in summary, while the physical changes are paramount but they feed into the important psychological factors and perhaps reinforce the positive aspects of a changed posture.