Effects of seating positions on heart rates, state anxiety, and estimated interview duration in interview situations

This study examined the effects of three seating positions, face-to-face, side-by-side, at right-angles, on participants' heart rates, anxiety, and estimated duration of interview. The subjects were 84 students in a women's junior college who were divided into two groups, classmates and nonclassmates. The experiment used the three seating positions in each of the two groups during the interviews. Heart rates, anxiety scores, and estimated duration of interview were measured. There was a significant effect in different seating positions on the heart rates among the participants. The results suggest that the face-to-face seating produces increased arousal compared to the side-by-side and right-angled seating positions. However, this arousal seems to be more important among classmates than nonclassmates. The results and implications are discussed.