The Power of Body Language Changing your posture for just two minutes can significantly impact the way your life unfolds. Body language plays a crucial role in communication and how we judge others. It can even predict meaningful outcomes like who we hire or promote.
'Power Poses' and Nonverbal Expressions "Power poses" are nonverbal expressions of power and dominance, characterized by expanding and opening up. When feeling powerless, people tend to close up and make themselves small. These behaviors are observed across both animals and humans.
The Influence of Power Poses on Behavior Research suggests that adopting high-power poses can lead to behavioral changes associated with feelings of power, such as increased assertiveness, confidence, optimism, risk-taking ability, abstract thinking skills,and decreased stress reactivity.The body-mind connection works both ways: our minds change our bodies but also our bodies change our minds.
The Power of Body Language "Power posing" is a technique where individuals adopt high-power or low-power poses for two minutes. Research shows that high-power poses increase risk tolerance and testosterone levels, while decreasing cortisol levels. This suggests that our body language can influence how we think and feel about ourselves.
Applying Power Posing in Evaluative Situations In evaluative situations like job interviews or public speaking engagements, power posing can be beneficial. A study found that participants who performed high-power poses before a stressful job interview were perceived as more competent by the judges, regardless of the content of their speech.
Overcoming Impostor Syndrome with Power Posing Amy Cuddy shares her personal experience with feeling like an impostor after a traumatic car accident affected her cognitive abilities. She encourages others to "fake it till you become it," using power posing to build confidence and overcome self-doubt.