7 factors that make an office chair ergonomic

A business woman in an office standing at a desk in front of an ergonomic office chair
(Image credit: Klaus Vedfelt via Getty Images)

We're often told to use an ergonomic chair to protect our posture, but what makes an office chair ergonomic? Ergonomics refers to the application of human psychological and physiological factors to engineering. So an ergonomic office chair is one that's been designed with attention to how humans are built as well as how chairs are built in order to create a piece of furniture that suits our physical shape.

This usually means that an ergonomic office chair is better for your posture, and particularly for your back and shoulders. These can suffer a lot of punishment if you spend a long time sitting in a position that's bad for you – something that happens to a lot of creatives who spend the working day sitting in front of a computer screen. 

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Joe Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

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