Summary
Highlights
Amy Cuddy begins by introducing a “no-tech life hack” involving changing posture for two minutes. She asks the audience to audit their current posture, highlighting common reactions like hunching or making oneself small. She emphasizes that while we are fascinated by what non-verbal cues communicate to others, we often overlook how our body language affects ourselves, influencing our thoughts, feelings, and even physiology.
Cuddy, a social psychologist, explains her interest in power dynamics and non-verbal expressions of power and dominance. She illustrates that in the animal kingdom and among humans, power is expressed through expansive postures, making oneself big and taking up space. Conversely, powerlessness is characterized by closing up and making oneself small. She notes that humans tend to complement rather than mirror others' nonverbals in power interactions.
Cuddy shares her observations in MBA classrooms, where some students display strong, expansive 'alpha' nonverbals while others appear to collapse. She notes a correlation between these postures and gender, with women more likely to exhibit powerlessness, contributing to a gender grade gap due to lower participation in class.
Motivated by her observations, Cuddy and her collaborator, Dana Carney, questioned whether adopting powerful nonverbals could lead to actual changes in self-perception and behavior. They explored the idea that just as feelings influence body language (e.g., smiling when happy), body language can also influence feelings (e.g., smiling making one happy).
Cuddy delves into the physiological effects of power and powerlessness, specifically focusing on testosterone (dominance hormone) and cortisol (stress hormone). High-power individuals typically have high testosterone and low cortisol. She explains they conducted an experiment where participants adopted high or low-power poses for two minutes, which resulted in significant hormonal changes, leading to increased confidence and reduced stress.
The potential application of power posing is in 'social threat situations' like job interviews or public speaking. Cuddy clarifies that power posing is not about performing for others in the moment but about self-preparation beforehand. She suggests practicing these poses in private for two minutes before a stressful event.
Cuddy shares a personal story of overcoming a traumatic car accident that significantly lowered her IQ, leaving her feeling powerless and like an impostor at Princeton. Her former advisor encouraged her to 'fake it till you make it' by continuously engaging in challenging situations. Cuddy realized she had not just faked it until she 'made it' but until she 'became it', integrating the powerful identity. She then relates this to a student who felt she didn't belong, encouraging her to adopt powerful postures and participate, leading the student to also 'fake it till she became it'.
Cuddy concludes by urging the audience to not just 'fake it till you make it,' but to 'fake it till you become it.' She reiterates that tiny tweaks, specifically two minutes of power posing, can lead to significant changes in one's life, suggesting practicing these poses in private spaces like elevators or bathroom stalls before stressful situations.