What Makes A Comfortable Chair: Ergonomics Explained

The average human being sits more than they lie down or stand up. And if the chair you are sitting in isn’t comfortable or lacks the ergonomics you need to remain comfortable, supported, productive, and most importantly, healthy, something must be done. These low-quality chairs we’ve just referenced put pressure on your spine and will affect you in the long term.

It is because of this fact that you need to determine what makes a chair comfortable. You also need to determine what makes a chair fit you properly so as to reduce pressure on your neck, back, and spine. This will not only help you stay comfortable - but productivity will skyrocket!

The position your body goes into when sitting down affects three areas of your body, and this is why you could suffer from serious neck, spine, back, and even hip pain from sitting in the wrong chair even if you are perfectly healthy.

This is why you need a chair that will help you prevent that kind of pain as much as possible, especially if you are the type who sits in one for long periods of time.

Let’s begin by exploring in detail the two major elements that determine what makes a comfortable chair: ergonomics and materials.

What Makes A Chair Comfortable?

There are two critical elements that not only affect a chair’s comfort level, but also affect the long-term impact a chair has on your neck, back, hips, and spine.

Those two qualities are whether the chair is designed ergonomically, and the comfort that its materials provide. These two qualities reduce pressure on your lower body, and they also determine what makes a comfortable chair. 

These are just two qualities that you should really look for when it comes to selecting a chair that you know you will be sitting in for very long periods of time. There are others - such as budget, aesthetics, warranties, and more. But if you simply want to stay comfortable and healthy? The emphasis of your shopping should be placed on ergonomics and materials. 

Sure, you might spend a little more money, but you’ll be saving money in the long term because of this. Select a chair that only highlights one element (or neither element) in its features but is cheaper, and you’ll eventually pay for it in the long run. These costs will rear their ugly heads in the form of procedures to overcome your impending neck, back, hip, and spine pain that will eventually become perpetual. Plus, when you spend more on an office chair, you can rest assured it will last longer than cheaper options - helping you get more bang for your buck.

This is why learning what makes a chair comfortable is a good investment of your time and money. The most crucial joints of your body will thank you. And so too will your productivity!

Supportive Ergonomics

One of the biggest issues with cheap chairs is that they do not consider any part of the human anatomy. When determining what makes a chair comfortable, the anatomy must be considered.

A quick way to test this is to sit in any given chair in one position for one to two hours straight. Then get up. If you experience pain in your neck, back, and especially your hips, you have just sat in a chair that is not built with supportive ergonomics in mind.

Unfortunately, this is typical of most chairs, and it is exactly why many claim that sitting for long periods of time will lead to major problems when it comes to your back, hips, and especially your spine. While this is true to some degree (which is why we also encourage you to invest in a standing desk), most people use cheap, low quality chairs.

In fact, protecting your spine and neck is at a premium when it comes to the concept of supportive ergonomics. Chairs that contain supportive ergonomics are designed for spine and neck health.

Supportive ergonomics is only one major piece of the puzzle when it comes to what makes a chair comfortable. The other piece of the puzzle has to do with comfortable materials.

Comfortable Materials

The other factor that makes a comfortable chair is the materials. A chair could feature perfect ergonomics, but it still needs to be paired with comfortable materials. This is because sitting in and of itself puts more impact than you think on your neck, spine, back, and hips, especially your spine and hips.

There are two distinct materials that make a chair truly comfortable: Cooling materials and smooth materials. Both of these work in tandem to address two very common sources of discomfort in the common chair.

Sitting for prolonged periods of time produces a lot of body heat. This is addressed with cooling materials. These materials help dissipate body heat, improving overall comfort by leaps and bounds.

Chairs that have very rough materials aren’t very comfortable. Not only that, but chances are good that these rough materials will cause itchiness, which is nothing if not uncomfortable. 

This is solved by using materials that are smooth, thereby reducing any kind of itchiness you may experience.

What Makes A Comfortable Chair: Ergonomics Explained

Posture gets affected the most when you sit for long periods of time. When the ergonomics of a chair is optimized, your posture will improve. Simple as that.

Most chairs betray your natural posture by forcing you to sit too far forward or too far back. Ergonomics prevent this from happening and work with your body’s natural tendency to tilt forward, backward, or to the side.

Chairs designed without perfect ergonomics do not consider your spinal structure. This is what leads to issues with posture, which can also lead to spine and hip issues that never seem to go away.

Another area where ergonomics are what makes a chair comfortable is in the fact that they are full length. They support your back and neck completely which allows you to provide complete support for your spine. This reduces the impact on your spine which is very important when considering what makes a comfortable chair.

Don’t Forget To Factor In The Materials Used

Ergonomics is only one part of the equation when it comes to what makes a chair comfortable. The materials that go into these chairs must pair perfectly with the ergonomics.

What good is a chair that has perfect ergonomics but does not have fabrics that are comfortable to the touch? This is why leather chairs are some of the least comfortable chairs to sit in even if they have an ergonomic design.

The perfect chair marries both ergonomics and comfort from the neck rest to the arm rests, to the seat, to everything else in between. This is what makes a chair comfortable.

Other Important Tips To Get A Quality, Comfortable Chair

At this point, you know what makes certain chairs more comfortable than others: a perfectly ergonomic design coupled with materials that are comfortable to the touch. And these two factors should make up the majority of your decision-making when shopping for a new chair. However, here are a couple of other things that you can consider when it comes to selecting a quality chair that reduces the impact on your lower body.

Check For Verified Reviews

Reviews are a very good source of information when it comes to buying any product, but these days it can be tough to filter out the suspect reviews from the verified reviews.

In this case, you’ll want to check for verified reviews. Make sure the review mentions the elements that have to do with ergonomics as well as materials since as mentioned previously, these are the only two relevant areas when it comes to what makes a chair comfortable.

Ensure A Warranty Is Offered

All chairs will degrade at some point - especially if you use yours daily. Things happen, chairs can come with missing parts, and you might need to send it back for another one.

The only way to do this without spending money is to make sure that the chair you want contains a warranty. Additionally, make sure this warranty doesn’t just cover certain things. Make sure this warranty covers everything you believe needs to be covered.

Final Thoughts On What Makes A Chair Comfortable

There are exactly two qualities that are the most relevant when it comes to what makes a chair comfortable. These two qualities are that the chair is ergonomically designed and that the chair is made of materials that are comfortable to the touch.

When these two qualities are put together, they create a chair that greatly reduces the impact on your neck, hips, spine, and back. And now that you know this, you can start your quest for the most comfortable chair possible. Fortunately, we know just the place…

ErgoTune’s entire catalog contains nothing but chairs like these. Indeed, you’ll find nothing but comfortable chairs online when you check out our catalog. Treat yourself to the #1 ergonomic chair in the game. Your hips and spine will thank you for years to come. And we do not just do office chairs. From relaxing chairs to office chairs, we’ve got something for everyone. Shop now and upgrade your seating for good!