So you want to be more confident with less stress and reduced anxiety? Well, here’s the strategy for just that.
This process takes approximately 2 minutes to carry out, and the impact is immediate.
First up, here’s the deal:
Research shows that higher levels of testosterone (in both males and females) lead to increased feelings of confidence. Meanwhile, lower levels of cortisol lead to decreased anxiety and an improved ability to deal with stress.
Testosterone and cortisol can change rapidly depending upon the social, physical, and environment that surrounds you.
Body language is said to be the link between these two hormones, and if you understand how to improve your body language, then you can increase your testosterone, decrease your cortisol, and as a result, feel more confident and display an increased risk tolerance.
Body Language: The “Power Poses”
Amy Cuddy is a researcher at Harvard University who studies body language and the impact it has on your hormones.
Cuddy and her team have classified different body positions as “high power” or “low power” poses. In general, the high-power poses are open and relaxed, while the low-power poses are closed and guarded.
The image below outlines the difference between high-power and low-power poses.
It only takes 2 minutes, and this is how.
The images below of Wonder Woman, Christine Lagarde and Beyonce display the pose dubbed as the “Wonder Woman” pose.
Merely stand tall, chest out, shoulders back and hands on your hips. Despite the name, the pose works equally as well for men as it does for women.
And it only takes two minutes to condition yourself into this high-power pose, so start trying it out today. Add it to your morning routine or the next time you find yourself in an intimidating situation.
Have fun with this, and like anything, don’t do it just once and never return to it. Make it part of your daily ritual. If you find this works, please feel free to share your findings with me.
Harvard Business School professor Amy Cuddy talks about this in much more detail in her TED Talk. Watch it below > (20-minute video)