Psychology says people who constantly adjust their office chair may be highly sensitive to their physical environment

For some office workers, sitting down is only the beginning. Within minutes, they may raise the chair, lower it, move the seat forward, lean the backrest, change the lumbar support and then adjust everything again after an hour. To colleagues, this can look like fussiness or an inability to settle. But psychology and ergonomics suggest something more interesting may be happening. People continuously respond to physical comfort, posture, bodily sensations, task demands and perceived control over their environment. Research has found that physical comfort and the desire to change posture are important reasons people adjust office chairs, while cognitive barriers can determine whether workers know how and when to make those adjustments.

Psychology Says Chair Adjustments Can Be About Perceived Control