Strike a Pose - How Power Posing Influences Your Brain

I want to offer you a free, no-tech, life hack. All it requires of you is that you change your posture for two minutes. -Amy Cuddy

I got this photo back from a photographer yesterday that was from a recent modeling shoot I did. I remember this moment because the photographer told me to "Look Powerful" and this is what I did. It made me think about Amy Cuddy's work because her research has really affected me deeply.

Amy Cuddy is a social phycologist that set out to learn more about our brain-body connections. She asks, "So we know our minds can affect our bodies, but can our bodies affect our minds?".

She gave a Ted Talk back in 2012 that has honestly changed the way I live my life. I first heard this Ted Talk when I was in the most stressful job of my life - back in 2012/2013. I would literally go to the bathroom and hyper-ventilate from all the pressure. I didn't have time for that though… I had to get out there, put on my game face and make shit happen.

I’ll never go back to such a high stress position again, working for such terrible people… but in the moment, it was a high paying job and I wasn’t planning on leaving. During my breakdowns in the bathroom, I would try her idea of power posing before going back out. It obviously didn’t fix the root issue – that I needed to find a better job – but it did help me get through the moment.

Before reading the rest of this article, take a quick moment to scan your body. What is your posture? Are you hunching over or making yourself small?

We tend to judge others with our non-verbal body language... but did you ever stop to think about how you are influenced by your own body language?

The Research

Amy Cuddy did a series of various scientific studies to test the affect of body posture on our mental well-being. Think about this for a moment ... what does someone look like when they are powerful or dominant? They get BIG, they open up. What about someone that looks small and defeated? They are probably curled up or hunched over. What do we do when we feel powerless? We close up and make ourselves small.

Cuddy did a study to find out... can you actually fake it till you make it?

She ran an experiment on people who did two minutes of either a high power pose or low power pose. The study was simple. Participants gave a saliva sample, did a two minuite pose (either high or low power), were asked a few questions, given the opportunity to gamble, and gave a salavia sample again.

The results were pretty astounding. Of those who did a a power pose - 86% were willing to gamble. Alternatively, only 60% of those who did a low power pose were willing to gamble.

In the salivia test, they wanted to test both testosterone and cortisol levels. Testosterone is the hormone generally associated with power and dominance, where cortisol levels determine how you respond to stress.

Testosterone- Those who did two minutes of power posing had a 20% increase vs. those who did two minuites of a low power pose - who had a 10% decrease.

Cortisol - Those who did a high power pose had a 23% decrease, and those who did a low power pose had a 15% increase.

These results were pretty astounding, because it only took two minutes to lead to these hormonal changes. Testosterone and cortisol levels can have a drastic impact on one’s ability to be confident and comfortable in a stressful situation.

Where can you apply this idea of power posing?

There are many situations in life that can be potentially stressful - but one of the most universally relatable one is job interviews. Cuddy brought up a good point in her Ted Talk about interviews. What do people usually do before an interview? They are sitting, probably hunched over, reviewing their notes or looking at their phone. This physical stance has been proven to lower your confidence and increase your cortisol. Instead, she recomends heading to the bathroom and holding a power pose for only two minuites before heading into the interview.

They ran a test to have different people either assume a usual, hunched over pose - or had them do a power pose. They then submitted them to an intense interview experience. These interviews were filmed and they had coders review the video footage from each interview. These coders had no idea who had picked a high power or low power pose before the interivew. Interestingly enough - they unanimously,picked all of the power pose people as clear "winners" and people they would hire.

This means that it's not necessarily based on what they said, but how they presented themselves. Higher testosterone and lower cortisol usually means that someone will come off as more poweful and comfortable in the interview.

Don't fake it 'till you make it. Fake it 'till you become it.

This piece of advice is something I've really tried to use in my own life. What does that actually mean? Do the things that scare you. Even if you are paralyzed in fear... go in with confidence and keep doing it until one day it doesn't feel as hard anymore.

One example of this in my life has been competing in dance. The very first time I competed, I was sick to my stumach all day and I literally shook like a leaf during the competition. Thank god that wasn't on video. The next time was slightly easier (with a bit less shaking) and now I hardly get nervous at all. I'm often the one calming my partner down!

I am so thrilled to say that after a couple years of competing, I recently won first place in my division and was moved up a level. This is what doing the hard thing looks like. From shaking like a leaf, to confidently dancing a first place dance - I have found this idea to be so powerful for me.

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Cuddy tells her personal story of belonging and acceptance that brought me to tears. If anything in this post interested you, I would highly recomend taking 20 minutes to listen to her talk. She is a great presenter and did a wonderful job relating the data.

I'm curious, have any of you ever tried this before? If so, i'd love to hear your experience.

For those of you who haven't ... do it right now. Seriously, why not? Chances are, you have two minutes to try this out. If you wait until you are in a stressful situation to try it out, you probably won't remember to do it. Trying it now and feeling the affects will help your body to remember next time you are in a stressful situation.

I hope you found this post helpful! Much love. <3

Non-original Photo Source

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