Many students count sleeping among their favorite pastimes, but it is unlikely that many of them ever think the way they sleep has any psychological meaning.
According to British sleep expert Chris Idzikowski, the position in which a person sleeps influences behavior.
Idzikowski identified six common sleeping positions and compared them to the personality types he observed in his study.
The study showed people who sleep in the fetal position tend to be sensitive and shy. People who sleep in the soldier position, or on their backs with their hands at their sides, normally are quiet and reserved.
People who sleep on their stomachs with their arms spread in the free-fall position are cocky and outgoing. Starfish sleepers are good listeners and sleep on their backs with arms spread.
People who are easygoing and sociable normally sleep in the log position – on their sides with straightened arms and legs. Yearners sleep on their sides with their hands in the praying position and often are skeptical.
University students had mixed feelings about the validity of the study.
One of those students, Megan Sweeney, a nursing freshman, said there is some truth behind the study. Sweeney sleeps in the fetal position and said she is shy, supporting the study results.
“When I don’t know someone I’m not going to go up to them and be like, ‘Hey’,” she said about her difficulties in talking to people.
Gary Bezet, a biology sophomore, was more skeptical about the study results. He said it is possible for people’s sleeping positions to affect their personalities, but the process is probably more complicated.
“I think it’s a complex relationship between your genetic makeup and how you were raised,” Bezet said. “Somebody’s personality can be changed a lot, but some people are predisposed to be outgoing.”
Bezet said he sometimes switches his sleeping positions. He goes to sleep on his side, but he is on his back when he wakes up.
He never sleeps on his stomach.
“It feels weird, and it hurts my neck,” Bezet said.
Bezet said his friendly personality wouldn’t affect or be affected by his discomfort from sleeping on his stomach.
“Psychology determines a lot of nit-picky things, but I feel like I’m suffocating when I’m on my stomach,” he said. “So it doesn’t matter what my personality is.”
Former psychology professor William Waters, who practices psychology at Ochsner Clinic, said studies like Idzikowski’s are not well- respected in the psychological community.
“That’s crap,” Waters said of the study. “Scientific psychology has been dropping that typology for 50 years.”
Waters said if there was better documentation about the study’s sources it would be reputable.
“It must have solid background information,” he said.