Why Some Men Sit Spraddle Legged and Why Ladies Do Not

No doubt you have noticed, while in informal mixed gatherings, that some men tend to sit with their knees splayed well apart: spraddle legged. You might wonder just why they do this.

An offended guest might reasonably suppose a particularly uncouth male sits thus in order to call attention to private areas of his person. A spraddle legged, knees apart slouch can of course draw attention, innocently or otherwise, to this area of a man’s anatomy.

However, most of us men who sit spraddle legged do so for other than specious “bragging” reasons.

For one thing, a man often wants to keep both feet firmly planted. This understandable if not widely perceived desire harks back to our aboriginal beginnings. A man with both feet firmly planted stands — or sits, as the case may be — ready to launch a defensive or offensive attack against unwelcome intruders. With both feet at the ready, the man wastes no time gathering his mental and physical resources when an emergency breaks out.

Today, of course, a quick response to outward stimuli may only mean changing channels on the TV or charging to the dinner table. But you will notice most men can leap from a spraddle legged pose, deeply ensconced in the most comfortable of sofas, and win any race to any dinner table, any place, any time.

Other masculine reasons for sitting spraddle legged exist. Often times, a man needs to think his way through a knotty situation. With elbows on spread knees and hands clasped together between them, a man can better concentrate his mental processes. This relaxed, spraddle legged pose fosters straighforward, logical thinking. A man sitting thus may appear sound asleep, but (you can trust me on this) he most likely sits thus while attempting to solve a difficult problem. Try not to disturb him; it may take The Thinker some time.

A third reason for sitting spraddle legged, for men, has to do with the casual occupation of a kitchen chair. Surely, you’ve seen a man grabbing a kitchen chair and spinning it around to sit spraddle legged so he can rest his forearms on the chair’s back and his chin on his hands. This nonchalant, relaxed way of sitting puts a man in an unusually forceful stance during a conversation. Many of us guys need all the forcefulness we can muster, so we beg your indulgence.

Anyway, rest assured that a man may have a number of excellent reasons for sitting spraddle legged without others assigning ulterior motives to the pose.

Now as for the female of the species: The reason ladies to not sit spraddle legged is pure and simple. It is because they are ladies.