Posture has a large effect on confidence and outward projection to the world. As a chiropractor, I have experienced this with my patients, as well as in my personal life. Strong posture sends a signal to your environment but it also has the ability to change your brain. Even when you are not feeling like the most confident one in the room, strong posture can make you stand out from the rest. The fake it till you make it mentality is not just a farce. The psychology behind this behavior is powerful.
Amy Cuddery, a social psychologist and researcher at Harvard University, discusses the psychology behind “power posing” in her TED Talk, “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are.” Strong posture with shoulders back and eyes lifted sends a signal of confidence and readiness to accept challenges. An open and upright posture takes up more space, asserting dominance. This perception of posture is both universal and innate, meaning subconsciously all species act this way and understand this about posture. Body language not only has the ability to influence your surrounding environment but also has the ability to affect your brain. Amy Cuddery’s research revealed nonverbal cues, such as posture, have the ability to affect how we think and feel about ourselves. This is because these cues have the ability to change the brain.
Imagsuperwoman super woman. Now imagine your iconic pose as superwoman. That is your power pose! “Power posing” changes our thoughts and feelings about ourselves by increasing the “feel good” chemicals in our bodies and decreasing the “stress” chemicals in our bodies. This combination allows you to be more confident and have better poise in stressful situations. Your posture has the power to change the way your brain works. Pretty soon, you are not just faking it by adopting a certain posture, you have BECOME it! AsAmy Cudder states, “tiny tweaks can lead to big changes.” Holding your power pose for two minutes is a great way to set your intention and focus your mind. Don’t worry, no one has to know your secret. It is a wordless affirmation that you are a powerful, confident, and capable woman.