Body Postures of Confident Pros

Pose Your Way to a More Confident Life

A good deal of research is currently underway to study the correlation between our physical postures and our hormonal chemistry. Particularly the hormones of testosterone and cortisol play a central role in the degree of confidence we experience.

While the exact correlation between our postures and our neurochemistry is still being explored, we don't need scientific verification to experience first hand how our confidence can grow in a matter of moments by shifting our physical posture.

One of the most watched TedTalks of all time is a presentation given by social psychologist Amy Cuddy, who shared research she had conducted on the effects of posture.

Her concluding recommendation is that we experiment with some of the postures below in circumstances where we could benefit from feeling a greater degree of confidence in our lives.

If we're in the habit of occupying a low confidence posture either when we're alone, or in a social circumstance, we can shift to a higher confidence pose.

The highest confidence poses—wide stance, arms overhead or hands on hips—can be utilized in private prior to entering a high-stress situation, such as a negotiation, sales appointment or interview.

According to Amy's research, simply holding the pose for two minutes prior to entering the challenging circumstance can help.

Pose for Victory

Stay on the lookout for your use of low confidence postures and shift to a higher confidence position whenever possible. Adopt a high confidence pose and hold for two minutes prior to entering a challenging or stressful circumstance.