What’s up with the Asian squat?

Petra Havas (ISB 11)

Deeply inquisitive, Petra endeavors to find the root cause of any phenomenon she encounters. Leaving no stone unturned, her analyses are insightful and illuminating.

In her third Buddy! article “What’s up with the Asian squat?,” she delves deep to explain a behavior that both Westerners and Asians alike are puzzled by.

If you are not an Asian person, you must have been puzzled upon seeing Asians perform the "Asian Squat." This peculiar position seems to be a unique part of Asian cultures, and many do it naturally. They squat when texting, eating, waiting for the bus, or they are just simply tired of standing. I was initially also taken aback by how they can stay in this position for so long without feeling any pain in their legs. Since nobody seems to have answered this question before, I decided to take the lead and do my research to find out all about this mystery: the Asian squat.

(From Medium)

Reasons for the existence of this peculiar phenomenon can be found in lifestyle differences. Westerners use toilets when they, you know, need to use the toilet. On the other hand, several Asian countries still use squat pans (something I have never been brave enough to try), which requires this strange, unique physical position. Considering that many Asian kids grow up using and continue to use squat pans as adults, it is unsurprising that their muscles stay flexible enough even after childhood. Physiologist Bryan Ausinheiler says that the secret lies in ankle flexibility: "everybody is flexible enough to do an Asian squat as a young child, but as the years go the flexibility begins to decline".

On the other hand, sitting is more common in the West. Economic development has made us a lot lazier than people living in developing countries, including several Asian nations. Another researcher, Maria Sofia Mangaliman Dela Peña (yes, that is her full name), carried out a study that investigated the Asian squat. She believes that Asians "are upbrought in a habitual deep squatting for resting position if too tired in standing for a long time, religious practice, exercises, doing daily routines, and even in defecation position." Therefore, it is clear that one of the main reasons for this phenomenon is just simply our differences in lifestyle.

(From Uplash)

Besides laziness and the type of toilets used, genetics also seems to play a role. Sarah Zhang, a Chinese-American journalist who investigated this peculiar phenomenon, states that short limbs, big heads, and long torsos all help the person to balance. This is why "toddlers have it so easy." Ausinheiler also shared an interesting observation about his family's squats: "my squat is the best, [...] but I'm also most conscious of technique. I have another brother who has even shorter legs than me. His squat isn't quite as good as mine, but it is very easy for him. And then the brother with the longest legs has the worst squat." Thus, not only do you need to be flexible to do the Asian squat. Being short (sorry, basketball players) gives you a significant advantage as well.

Maria Sofia Mangaliman Dela Peña's study also supports the genetic component behind the mystery of the Asian squat. She selected the participants and categorized them into four groups: Caucasians, East Asians that live in Canada, East Asians that live in East Asia and East Asians that grew up in Canada. Out of these four groups, Asians living in East Asia held their special squat the longest. They were followed by the Asians who grew up in Canada and the ones living in Canada. Surprisingly (or not), Caucasians scored the lowest. The table below shows that although East Asians abroad couldn't hold their squats as long as the Asians living in East Asia, they still surpassed the white Canadian participants. Evidently, genetic makeup does influence who can or can't Asian squat as well as how long they can hold the position.

(by Maria Sofia Mangaliman Dela Peña)

Whether you are Asian or not and can do the Asian squat or not, I hope my article helped you learn something about this strange phenomenon. If this piece of writing motivates you to try and master this essential life skill and enhance your integration into Chinese culture, I support you with all my heart, no matter where you come or what you look like. You should never forget that effort is what really counts and ISB totally supports students who show their interest in learning more about Asian culture. In order to be a real dragon, you need to be brave enough and give it a chance. Lifestyle is what plays the greatest role in determining who can or cannot Asian squat, so don’t give up! Although you should keep in mind that there are three minor, slightly influential factors which, if you possess all of them, will probably hinder your success. They are the following:

If you are tall
If you are not flexible
If you are not Asian at all