If you need an extra dose of safety, changing your body posture might be the solution.
Last update: June 07, 2022
Security makes a difference, not just in the way we feel, but also in the results we get. It is therefore useful to know a few positions to feel more confident in minutes.
If you are insecure, it is likely that on more than one occasion you have wished for a magic wand that could give you more confidence. Maybe to present a project in class, to talk to the person you like or to face a job interview.
Knowing some positions is a useful and easy to implement tool that is based on psychocorporeity. According to the latter, body and mind are closely related and the states of one are reflected in the other bidirectionally.
Just as the body reflects the mood, a change in posture can also change emotions. Let's explain why!
Postures to feel more confident
We convey a lot of information through non-verbal language. A smile, a dejected look or crossing the arms tell us if our interlocutor is happy, fearful or defensive; we understand it instantly, without conscious effort.
Even in the animal world, certain postures are adopted that act as an interaction with others. Generally, expansive and open positions show power and can be intimidating; conversely, a squatting, bent or contracted posture indicates fear.
Depending on the posture we adopt, physiology and psychology vary. You may have heard the recommendation "smile, even if you don't feel like it, and you will feel happier". It is true and can also be applied with regard to trust.
Two minutes is enough
These interesting results are the result of research conducted in 2010 by researchers Amy Cuddy and Dana Carley. A group of volunteers were asked to adopt positions to feel safer and positions that made them feel weaker; following that, the changes in their body were analyzed.
The results are surprising, as not only did confidence vary psychologically, but endocrine alterations also occurred. In particular, positions aimed at increasing self-confidence have resulted in increased testosterone levels and decreased cortisol levels; and the opposite pattern occurred with the poses of weakness.
We keep in mind that testosterone is a hormone present in both men and women, linked to courage, self-confidence and risks. For its part, cortisol is associated with stress, nervousness and caution.
So, adopt certain positions to feel more confident it generates hormonal changes that instill confidence. The researchers also asked several volunteers to apply this technique before speaking in public.
The results indicate that there was a decrease in anxiety and an increased feeling of security. Maintaining the posture for just two minutes was enough to experience its positive effects.
Adopt positions in daily life to feel safer
It proves to be a very useful strategy, as it causes an almost instant increase in self-confidence. But what are these postures?
Those in which the arms are separated from the body and the trunk is tilted forward. They are open and expansive positions among which there are:
- Raise your arms above your head in victory.
- Put your hands behind your neck.
- Lean on the table with your arms still.
- Put your arms on your hips and bring your shoulders back.
As research shows, holding these postures for two minutes is enough to fill up on that extra dose of safety. However, it can also be good to make a longer postural change.
If you are in the habit of walking hunched over, with your head down or with your arms crossed, you should know that you are used to adopting a posture that instills weakness. This not only reflects fear or insecurity, but also contributes to perpetrating this emotion.
We therefore invite you to change your habits to adopt more expansive postures so to note lasting changes in your attitude.
