Standing Like a Superhero Could *Actually* Boost Your Confidence

Being a bundle of nerves right before an important interview, or not feeling confident enough to bring the much required thunder in a meeting happens to the best of us. These jitters are inevitable at times, but, what if we tell you that you can calm your nerves and boost your confidence by doing this 2 minute exercise?!

Yes! According to Amy Cuddy, the Harvard Business School social psychologist, "power posing" right before an important event can actually boost your confidence. In her TED Talk, Amy spoke about the changes we feel in our confidence levels when we stand in a posture of confidence. This video garnered more than 13 Million hits and received several comments from viewers. You can watch Amy giving examples from the animal world about non verbal expressions of power and dominance:

[youtube ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="">

In a published paper, Amy and her associates from Columbia University, Dana R. Carney and Andy J. Yap, reported that high power poses cause positive physiological, psychological, and behavioral changes. The report also states: " The results of this study confirmed our prediction that posing in high-power non-verbal displays (as opposed to low-power non-verbal displays) would cause neuroendocrine and behavioural changes in both male and female participants."

Also, "High-power posers experienced elevations in testosterone, decreases in cortisol, and increased feelings of power and tolerance for risk; low-power posers exhibited the opposite pattern. In short, posing in displays of power caused advantaged and adaptive psychological, physiological, and behavioural changes, and these findings suggest that embodiment extends beyond mere thinking and feeling, to physiology and subsequent behavioural choices."