Adopt expansive posture to shift subjective confidence
Upright, open posture — not a "power pose" — reliably correlates with higher self-reported confidence, even if the hormone claims did not hold.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Upright, open posture — not a "power pose" — reliably correlates with higher self-reported confidence, even if the hormone claims did not hold.
- Why it works: Embodied cognition research demonstrates bidirectional links between physical state and mental state: the body does not only express emotion, it partially constitutes it. Slumped, contracted posture activates submissive and defeated cognitive states; upright and open posture is associated with approach motivation and resource appraisal. The mechanism is proprioceptive and interoceptive — the brain reads postural signals as evidence about current status and readiness.
- Evidence: Backed by observational / correlational evidence.
- Avoid: Using dramatic, exaggerated "power poses" in public settings — other people’s perception of dominant body language is often negative, and the effect on the self does not require exaggerated expansion.
Why it works
Embodied cognition research demonstrates bidirectional links between physical state and mental state: the body does not only express emotion, it partially constitutes it. Slumped, contracted posture activates submissive and defeated cognitive states; upright and open posture is associated with approach motivation and resource appraisal. The mechanism is proprioceptive and interoceptive — the brain reads postural signals as evidence about current status and readiness.
How to do it
- 1Before a high-stakes moment, spend two minutes standing or sitting with an upright spine, shoulders back and down, head level, feet planted.
- 2Allow your arms to be open rather than crossed — uncrossed arms reduce self-reported anxiety.
- 3Do not attempt the dramatic spread-eagle poses from the original study — the behavioral effects come from ordinary upright, open posture.
- 4Notice how your self-assessment of readiness shifts after two minutes of this.
What the evidence says
ObservationalExpansive posture correlates with higher self-reported confidence and approach states across multiple studies; the meta-analytic picture is moderate and mixed. The hormone claims (testosterone up, cortisol down) did not replicate in pre-registered studies.
Honest caveat: The hormonal mechanism failed to replicate in adequately powered pre-registered studies. Psychological outcomes (self-reported confidence) show smaller, more inconsistent effects than the original paper claimed. The useful takeaway is much more modest than the TED talk suggested.
- — Cuddy, Schultz & Fosse (2018), P-curving a more comprehensive body of research on postural feedback reveals clear evidential value for power posing effects on psychological outcomes, Psychological Science
- — Ranehill et al. (2015), assessing the robustness of power posing — no effect on hormones, Psychological Science
Common mistake
Using dramatic, exaggerated "power poses" in public settings — other people’s perception of dominant body language is often negative, and the effect on the self does not require exaggerated expansion.
IX Coach prompts a two-minute posture reset before you log a high-stakes event and checks in on your self-reported confidence before and after — building your personal evidence for what posture actually does for you.
Practice this with IX Coach →