Power poses can be a simple way to reduce stress, boost confidence and even increase testosterone. In this article we’ll be going over power poses for confidence, and how they can impact your mood in a matter of minutes.
Do you ever feel like your confidence could use a boost? Most of us can struggle with self-doubt and insecurity, which can hold us back from achieving our goals. But there’s a simple way to boost your confidence, and it’s all about your body language.
What are power poses?
Power poses are a postural technique that influences the way you can behave and feel as a result of the postural pose. It is thought that our stance and body language can have a direct correlation to our thoughts and behaviours.
It is normal to assume that when someone is slouching and looking down at the floor they may be upset or depressed about something. The inverse is true if someone stands tall with their shoulders back that they are confident.
We naturally associate certain body language with certain emotions. The idea of power poses is performing body language that we associate with being powerful with the aim of feeling better. Our body language speaks directly to the world how we feel about ourselves and the decisions we make.
How can posture impact us?
Posture has an instrumental impact on the way we feel and how we decide to live our lives. The physical benefits are less stress on the joints and muscles in the body, but the psychological impact is massive.
The state of your posture can also have an impact on your mental health, but the mind and body have an important connection with each other. This is shown by your mood affecting your posture, and conversely, your posture affecting your mood. When upset or depressed you have a greater likelihood of slouching. Certain poor postures have been shown to decrease the efficiency of our autonomic nervous system, interfering with our fight or flight and rest and digest states. These impacts can have big consequences on our mental wellbeing.
Bryan Johnson is a health fanatic who has spent millions of dollars creating Blueprint, a protocol to improve every metric of health. Here is what he has to say about the importance of posture.
“When you maintain proper posture, standing up straight. It’s a representation that you’re proud of yourself”
Power poses and testosterone
A study conducted by Amy Cuddy, a Social Psychologist from Harvard University found that testosterone and cortisol were impacted. One group was told to hold a high power pose for 2 minutes, and another group was told to hold a low power pose for the same amount of time. Base cortisol and testosterone measurements were recorded by saliva samples.
The results after the two minutes showed that the high power pose group experienced a 20% growth in testosterone (a hormone that impacts confidence) and a 25% decrease in cortisol (the stress hormone). Within the low power pose group, there was a 10% decrease in testosterone and 15% increase in cortisol. It was also found that the high power pose group were more likely to take a risk based on the questions answered within the study.
High power poses involve postures that make the person look bigger, spreading out and taking more space such as the victory pose. The low power is the opposite, a posture that makes the person appear smaller by folding themselves in.
Best Power Poses for Confidence
Probably the best known power-pose for confidence is the “Wonder Woman” pose, this involves your feet strongly planted wider than the shoulders, your chest raised and head standing straight and tall, with the finishing touch of the hands on the hips.
Stretch your arms out and face the sun with this salutation pose. Simply plant your feet firmly, stretch your arms out to the side and raise your chest and head proudly. This pose is a posture of praise in many religious cultures, this pose can help you feel more powerful and energetic .
The victory pose is commonly associated with winning and accomplishment, you’ve probably naturally used this pose when something extremely good has happened. Simply raising your hands above your head into a “V” shape can help you visualise success and raise your confidence to meet your goals.
Smiling in itself can be a pose, smiling is an effective way to instantly raise your confidence and your mood. Showing people you’re not afraid to smile is a strong sign of confidence. Even fake smiling has been shown to trick the brain into feeling happy, decreasing cortisol and increasing confidence.
Practice power poses daily
So when should you use power poses? Well, they can be used at any time as all you need is yourself. They can also be practiced anywhere but to save the embarrassment of practicing these in the supermarket aisles, I’d recommend the below.
- As soon as you get out of bed practice these power poses in the mirror for 2 minutes
- Before an important event such as an interview, audition, or presentation.
- Before a difficult conversation
It may seem silly at first but many experience real tangible benefits from this free and simple trick. Give it a try, it only takes a couple minutes and can be combined with visualisation practices and breathing techniques if you really wanted to maximise time-value.
Want to know more?
The concept of power poses gained popularity after Amy Cuddys TED talk on how body language can shape who you are. Below is a link to her 20 minute TED talk.
Do you have any experiences with power poses? Share your story below!
Leave a Reply