This is one of my favorite TED talks from a few years ago and I just realized that I never posted it here. In this video, Amy Cuddy discusses her research (and personal experience) in how our body language influences perceptions of dominance and confidence. While we probably know that posture can influence how others perceive us, it’s important to realize that posture also influences how we perceive ourselves.
Temporarily adopting powerful poses can actually help us to feel more assertive and powerful, just as fake smiles can help people to feel happier (known as the facial-feedback hypothesis). Cuddy discusses her research on how posture can alter hormone levels in a matter of minutes and she gives practical advice for how we can use these changes to perform at our best in evaluative situations. I think the most important idea that Cuddy discusses in this talk is taking this concept beyond “fake it ’til you make it” to “fake it ’til you become it”. Our own behaviors influence our self-perception and by modifying our behavior we can gradually modify who we are. Rather than just temporarily boosting our confidence one time (while perhaps still feeling a bit phony) if we can learn how to consistently bring out our best performance when we need it we can improve our overall sense of control and confidence.
