“Power poses” can help you feel more confident

You know that gesture of raising your arms to celebrate a victory? Or the posture of someone who feels in control of the situation, lifting her chin, keeping her spine straight and putting her hands on her hips? These and other gestures, typical reactions in positive moments, were called “power poses” by psychologist and Harvard professor Amy Cuddy. The interesting thing is that these positions, even if practiced out of context for two minutes, are able to trick the brain and make you feel excited, safe and confident.

Cuddy became known worldwide when she revealed the result of her research at a TED (series of international conferences designed to disseminate cool ideas). Her studies have demonstrated the logic behind the theory: when you raise your arms in celebration, your brain triggers a surge of testosterone (a dominance hormone); at the same time, it restricts the production of cortisol (stress hormone) and decreases the feeling of nervousness. That is, you really feel victorious and less intimidated. The technique has helped many people cope with stressful events, such as job interviews, public speaking, or difficult meetings.

Personally, I tested this wonder woman pose several times and I approved! Anyone who is already a fan of the method can now learn more about the psychologist’s brain plasticity research in the book she has just released in Brazil, The Power of Presence (Sextant, 39.90 reais). One of the chapters deals with learning as simple and effective as this “fake it until it’s true” exercise: small adjustments that lead to big changes. It’s much easier and more natural for the mind to incorporate smaller actions, which Cuddy calls self-nudges, than it is to impose ambitious transformation goals.

You can’t promise, for example, that starting today, you’ll stop being shy and become an extrovert. “This is how it works,” she writes. “In each challenging situation, we encourage ourselves to feel stronger, to overcome the walls of fear. It is this experience that we will remember when faced with the next similar circumstance.” According to the psychologist, our focus should be on the process, not the result. It is the current behavior that will change the future and, for that, we need nanoinvestments, which will, slowly and gradually, shape our brain.

Nudges are effective for several reasons. The main thing is that they require little effort and therefore have more guaranteed adherence. And then, as the expected results are not immediate, they do not become a source of anxiety or frustration. The personal example that the author gives is encouraging. She says that she used to react immediately to any turbulence without stopping to breathe or think. “When I tried to fix a problem instantly, in that flustered, nervous way, I was never satisfied with my action. We don’t get anywhere by deciding to change everything right now. Let’s go slowly, step by step. I learned that I needed to nudge myself to slow down and also to focus less on the outcome. Every time it caught my attention, it created a memory, a record of it, that I could access the next time I panicked.” Today, Cuddy knows that even doing nothing is something. And that can be really good!