Your Body Language Can Change Behavior!

We know our mind can change our bodies, but our bodies can also change our minds, and… our outcomes, according to Amy Cuddy, Psychologist and Associate Professor at Harvard Business School.  Your body language can alter behavior, both how others react to you and, more importantly, how you behave!  Research studies prove expansive, open [body] movements like holding or waving your arms high, boosts hormone levels, increases testosterone, and decreases cortisol.  You may not only change perceptions others have about you, but how you feel about yourself as well.   These physical behaviors create new connects in your brain that combat negative thoughts and shifts them to a position of positive thinking.

Power Posing

Professor Cuddy describes open, expansive postures as power posing.  Standing, tall, proud, and confident can have positive ramifications on how you view yourself, how others view you, and directly impact your performance.  She challenges you to change your posture for two minutes… as it could significantly change the way your life unfolds. 

The following illustration displays postures of low and high power poses.  With hand placements on your face, neck, or pockets, you convey to others a lack of confidence and the need to protect yourself. These poses communicate and display weakness.  When you open your body, movements, and gestures, you exude power.  These gestures make you appear strong, assertive, and ready to take control!

 

Fake It ‘Til You Make It

According to Professor Cuddy, studies have shown that forcing yourself into a power posed position for at least two minutes increases the dominance hormone [testosterone] and decreases the stress hormone [cortisol].  These immediate changes to your body’s chemistry create an ability to feel confident and create a sense of power and influence.  According to this theory, the more you fake it, the more likely you are to become what you are portraying yourself to be.

We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle

Qualitative researchers understand behavior.  Successful research outcomes require qualified researchers with an ability to understand human behaviors, including non-verbal, and customize methods based on the discovery need and target audience.  The Research Group can deliver successful outcomes and design a custom approach.   Check out Concept Couture: a proven, hybrid method of evaluation and refinement.  It is designed to evolve your message, brand, or product by exploring the nuances of your target audience so you can create communication that is relevant and significant.

Click here to follow Amy Cuddy on LinkedIn!

 

 

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