Within two minutes powerful & strong
AND YES, THIS IS GOING TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE
With a bottle of Pellegrino, a toast with extra ketchup, and the intention that I will never drink again, I click through Netflix. I find myself in the typical lazy scenario after a typical Friday night gone out of hand. I click around and stumble upon TEDTalks. Certainly known to many, it is the platform where inspiring people share their stories about various topics, but especially about life and such. I realize that as a slumped and apathetic being, I can do something with these speeches.
My attention is immediately drawn to Amy Cuddy's talk about body language. And not how it can be read by others (and you might learn to spot unfaithful heart breakers flawlessly), but rather how a certain body posture causes changes in your mind. For example, studies have shown that unhappy people naturally produce more happiness hormones in their heads when you let them hold a pen horizontally in their mouths. Thus; becoming happy can be achieved by faking a smile. But does this also apply to being powerful and strong? There are universal ‘power poses’ within our humanity that can be pointed out. Poses that even blind-born people (who have never seen them in others) adopt as soon as they achieve a victory. So as soon as a person feels powerful, he or she adopts a certain posture. But does it work the other way around? So: can a certain posture also give you power in your brain? Amy Cuddy researched this and discovered that anyone can become powerful and strong within two minutes. Simply by standing like a boss.
I watched, shivered, and sat on the edge of my seat after Amy's speech. Everyone needs to know and do this. So as a newly minted disciple of Amy, here’s a brief overview of how you too can become a master, Khaleesi, king, or just the boss within 120 seconds.
1. How it works
Adopt a power pose. All power poses are characterized by making yourself big. So; arms wide outstretched, legs on the table and hands behind your head, hands on your hips and legs apart, and so on. Find a space where you can adopt such a posture undisturbed for at least two minutes. Stand up and stay standing.
2. What happens
People who are powerful are more assertive, have more self-confidence, and are more optimistic. They believe they will win no matter what, even if the chance is small. But there are also physiological differences. Powerful people have high testosterone levels (the dominance hormone) and low cortisol levels (the stress hormone). Weaker people have the opposite. Now it turns out unequivocally from Amy's research that for people who are not powerful, this happens after adopting a power pose: their testosterone levels rise and their cortisol levels drop. They become powerful in their minds like powerful people. And all of this by adopting a power pose for those two minutes.
3. Why it changes your life
YES! Scientific research also shows that people who are naturally powerful or have become powerful after adopting a power pose always have an edge over less powerful types. They are hired more quickly in job applications, achieve higher scores for giving presentations, and so on. I think it can be a game changer, especially in job applications. So don’t sit on your phone or make yourself small by bending over your notes while waiting at the reception. No. Stand up. Walk to the bathroom. And stand like a King Kong for 120 seconds. Then the chance that you will be hired is many times greater.
So what’s stopping you? Please try this out once. You can find the entire Talk by the way here.
