“Fake it till you become it.”
Amy J. C. Cuddy
There is a great TED Talk (but a little long) by Amy J. C. Cuddy that offers some great insights into how to feel more powerful and confident in any situation. It only takes two minutes and you’ll be surprised how simple it is.
Here’s a brief summary from the Harvard Business Review, if you don’t want to listen to the video or read the article but we encourage you, if you want to show up differently when it really counts … take the time to listen to or read this information.
Holding one’s body in “high-power” poses for short time periods can summon an extra surge of power and sense of well-being when it’s needed, according to Harvard Business School professor Amy J.C. Cuddy. The key concepts are:
- Holding one’s body in expansive, “high-power” poses for as little as two minutes stimulates higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisol.
- In addition to causing hormonal shifts, power poses lead to increased feelings of power and a greater tolerance for risk.
- People often are more influenced by how they feel about you than by what you’re saying.
- “Fake it till you become it” suggests that it’s not just about a shift in your thoughts that increases your sense of confidence and shifts someone’s perception of you. It’s about the actual bodily poses you hold that creates the shift needed to become who you want to be in any given moment. (We added this one.)
Listen to this TED Talk or read the Article in Harvard Business Review.
Try some power poses this week and let us know what you experience on our Facebook page.
