Do you have a big presentation, performance, or a difficult conversation coming up that is making you nervous?  I came across a quick method that research shows can actually help you feel more confident, and the crazy thing is, it only takes two minutes.  No, it’s not a drug or a drink, but it does quickly change your body’s chemistry, simply by altering how you are sitting or standing,

Researchers from Harvard University (so it must be true) the University of Washington, and the University of Oregon, and many other institutions have uncovered an interesting phenomenon about our hormones.  Higher levels of testosterone (in both men and women) lead to increased feelings of confidence, while lower levels of cortisol lead to decreased feelings of anxiety and an improved ability to deal with stress.  These hormones, it turns out, are particularly sensitive and fluctuate rapidly depending on your social, physical, and environmental circumstances.  One of the things that researchers found that can rapidly affect testosterone and cortisol levels is simply your body posture.  

Amy Cuddy, a researcher at Harvard, classified different body positions as either high power or low power poses.  High power poses were open and relaxed (wonder woman) and low power poses were guarded and closed up.  She measured testosterone and cortisol levels through saliva samples in research subjects before and after they took either the high power or low power pose for two minutes.  What she found was pretty remarkable.  The subjects holding the high power pose had an increase in testosterone of  20 percent and a decrease of cortisol of 25 percent.  The subjects in the low power poses had the exact opposite result, decreasing testosterone and increasing cortisol.  She put this further to the test by having subjects do either of the poses before or after a mock job interview.  Not only did the high power pose subjects feel more confident in the interview, but they were more likely to be selected as rated by the interviewers.

Behaviors and emotions are closely linked.  Notice that when we’re afraid, we tend to sit with our legs and/or arms crossed, hugging ourselves in a sense and pulling inward.  What this research suggests about body language is that we are reinforcing our fear by sitting in this closed position.  Just by standing up and opening up our posture we can influence our chemistry and our perceived sense of ourselves.  Notice that our most powerful leaders don’t merely think a certain way, but they carry themselves a certain way as well.

So, before your next challenging situation, take a moment, no sorry, actually two moments, to prepare yourself.  Put your hands on your hips, spread your legs apart, and keep your chin up.  Feel the power of the pose; take up space and expand your physical presence.  While you are at it, visualize yourself performing well and being relaxed throughout your challenge.  Bring your mind and your body together to boost your confidence, increase your stress tolerance, and be the best of you.

**For more information, check out Amy Cuddy’s 20 minute Ted Talk regarding her research on body language, hormone levels, and confidence.