euthenics

The brace position actually does save lives and reduces injuries.

It saves lives by putting your head already against the thing it’s most likely to hit in an impact, namely the seat in front. This reduces your chance of a head injury. If you can’t get your head against the seat, or are in an exit row, then the modified brace position secures your head against your legs.

It reduces injuries by tucking your limbs in and holding them in place, meaning they don’t move during the impact, meaning they’re less likely to be broken.

And, ya know, if you are conscious and don’t have a broken leg, you have a much higher chance of evacuating safely from a plane that is, say, on fire, or sinking into a river…

Numerous reports indicate that bracing maximizes your chance of surviving uninjured in a survivable crash - and over 70% of crashes are survivable.

Mythbusters busted this by putting a dummy through a series of simulated plane crashes, and they discovered that the brace position absorbs more of the crash energy than sitting upright, and that the force was channeled into the chair.

So, why do flight attendants sit in a different position? Because jumpseats are not designed the same way as passenger seats.

First of all, some jumpseats are rear facing. On some planes, some passenger seats are rear facing. If you are in a rear facing seat, then you should not brace, you should sit upright and press yourself into the seat, legs together.

Second of all, flight attendants often wear shoulder harnesses, so their shoulders are secured to the seat. They do not, however, put their legs against anything, they tuck their legs under the seat. Sometimes they sit on their hands, sometimes they put their hands firmly on their thighs - this is, again, to minimize limb movement.