Learn English – What do you call this sitting pose or position that sad or depressed people adopt

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What do you call this pose/ position that we adopt when we are very sad or depressed? (For example; when we feel heartbroken or have lost someone or something important.)

P.S. I know that some people sleep in the "fetal position" that is kind of similar to this sitting position, can I use "sitting in the fetal position" too?

Fetal position (British English: also foetal) is the positioning of the body of a prenatal fetus as it develops. In this position, the back is curved, the head is bowed, and the limbs are bent and drawn up to the torso.
[Wikipedia]

Update:

We Iranians use a single word and also a (figurative) expression for referring to this position/ pose. I don't know how to translate that single word, but the expression literally says "to hug the knee(s) of sadness". For example:

"Why have you sitted in this corner and hugged the knees of sadness like this? Has the world come to an end?!!, Come on, pull yourself together,…".

I don't know if I can use "to hug one's knees" for describing or mentioning this position or not.

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Best Answer

Yes, in idiomatic American English, at least, "hugging one's knees" is exactly the phase to use to convey the pose your describe. However, "hugging the knees of sadness" is not used.

Your example:

Why are you sitting in the corner hugging your knees like that? Has the world come to an end? Come on, pull yourself together!

If you don't need to specific about the pose, you could use "moping", and readers might picture the right pose, anyway.

Why are you sitting in the corner, moping like that? Has the world come to an end? ....

But this isn't always the right word.

Captions to your example pics might be:

  • "Overcome by the utter humiliation he'd suffered, Kevin hid behind the wall, hugging his knees, and crying."

  • "Sure that his parents would never understand, Steve sat on the floor next to his bed, hugging his knees and wondering how he could tell them the truth."

  • "Bored, and a little melancholy, Susan sat on the bench and hugged her knees, head to the side, watching all the happy, purposeful, people walk by."

Note that sadness is not a requirement of the pose or the phrase:

  • "The children waited in the corner, bright-eyed but patient, hugging their knees and trembling, ready at a word to burst into joyful, excited movement."
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