In low power situations, people tend to close themselves off from others or wrap themselves up. In high power poses we open up and portray confidence and openess. You can see the high and low power poses used in the study in the image below. In her research, Professor Cuddy found some interesting results when she compared these two groups of people. Here are the key findings:
- People in high power poses had increased risk tolerance compared to low power poses
- People with high power poses had a 20% increase in Testosterone compared to people in low power poses.
- People with high power poses had a 25% reduction in Cortisol levels (stress hormone) compared to those in low power poses.
Higher levels of Testosterone (in both men and women) lead to increased feelings of confidence. Meanwhile, Lower levels of Cortisol lead to decreased anxiety and an improved ability to deal with stress. To put it simply, if you have higher levels of Testosterone and lower Cortisol you are biologically primed to be more assertive, confident and relaxed and at the same time, you will be less reactive to stress and more likely to handle pressure situation well.
You want to know the best thing with this? It only takes 2 minutes to achieve these results. That’s right, standing in a power pose for 2 minutes caused these changes in the test subjects. Amazing!
Jamesclear.com suggests using a power pose like this:
- “Each morning, I’ll wake up and stand in a high power pose for two minutes. While I’m doing that, I’ll close my eyes, breathe in deeply for a count of 3, hold for 1, and then breathe out fully for a count of 5. In this way, I combine breathing exercises, mediation and power poses for a relaxing and confidence-boosting start to the day”.
In the TED talk linked above, Professor Cuddy suggests using Power poses before important interviews, meetings or tests to help give you a boost. It’s a simple way of creating positive changes in the body.
I have been trying these for a little while and have felt pretty good doing them. Try them and see how you feel. What have you got to lose? Your body will thank you for it.
References
- https://www.businessinsider.com.au/power-pose-2013-5?r=US&IR=T#and-thats-the-key-message-for-all-of-us-professor-cuddy-says-41
- http://jamesclear.com/body-language-how-to-be-confident
- TITLE-IMAGE: http://addcrusher.com/fire-adhd-brain-two-minutes-power-poses-natural-add-remedy/