Amy Cuddy discusses how body language can influence mindset and behavior. She conducted experiments showing that adopting expansive, powerful poses for two minutes increases testosterone and decreases cortisol, influencing people to feel more powerful and confident. When asked to engage in a risky gambling activity after posing, those who adopted high power poses were more likely to do so. She also found that posing high power before a stressful job interview improved performance. Our bodies can influence our minds, so taking on powerful poses in stressful situations can help configure our brain to feel more assertive and comfortable.

1. Your body
language shapes
who you are
A
Motivational Talk
By-Amy Cuddy
Created By: Dipanshu Sehjal
IIIT Allahabad

2. We are very fascinated by body
language, particularly in other
people’s body language.

3. When we talk about body language , we mean
the non verbal communication.

4. Communication means
Interaction

5. Non Verbal
Communication

6. What does your body
communicates to me?
What does my body
communicates to you?

7. We make judgements from body
languages

8. What non-verbals are
we talking about ?

9. Expressions of Power and
Dominance

10. Expressions of Power and
Dominance
Chin
high

11. We open up
Stretch to show
Dominance and
Power

12. And when we are
powerless or less
confident

14. What happens when High power
and low power are put together ?

15. If someone is being
really powerful
with us
We tend to make
ourselves
smaller
We don’t mirror
them

16. Powerful Minds
vs
Powerless Minds

17. Powerful Minds are

18. More
Assertive

19. More Confident

20. More
Optimistic

21. We know that our minds
change our bodies
But……

22. Does our bodies change our
minds ?

23. Let’s Find it
out…..

24. Amy Cuddy relates it with the
extent of participation

25. But is it possible to get people to fake
it and would it lead them to
participate more ?
Can you fake it till you make it ?

26. When you pretend to be powerful,
you are more likely to actually
feel powerful

27. Now the question is ……
Does our bodies change our
minds ?

28. There is some sort of Physiological things that
makes up thoughts and feelings-Hormones
Testosterone- Dominance Hormone
Cortisol- Stress Hormone

29. Study says that Powerful male
have high level of Testosterone
and low level of Cortisol

30. So Power is not only about
dominance
It is also about how you
react to stress.

32. Amy Cuddy conducted one
experiment on few individuals

33. She asked them to either adopt
high power pose

34. Or low Power pose for two minutes.

35. And Gave them an opportunity to gamble

36. It was found out that when you are in the High Power pose
condition 86% chances are that you will gamble whereas when
you are in low Power pose only 40% chances that you will
gamble.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
High Power
pose
Low Power
pose
Risk Tolerance

37. Also the Testosterone levels got increased by 25 percent and Cortisol
Levels got decreased by 20 percent in High Power pose condition.

38. So it is evident now that pose conditions
lead to these hormonal changes that
configure your brain to basically either
confident, assertive and comfortable or
really stress-reactive.

39. And YES our non verbals
govern how we think and feel
about ourselves

40. Now the question is can Power posing for a
few minutes can really change your life
in meaningful ways ?

41. Lets Take one
more Case

42. What do you do before you go into a job
interview ?

43. You do this ..

44. Amy Cuddy conducts one more test.
She brings people to lab and ask them to
opt HIGH Power pose for few minutes
and feel to be powerful.
Then they go through a stressful
job interview……

45. They out performed the other
candidates.
They felt more powerful and more confident than
before.
They felt more comfortable.

46. So what’s driving it ?

47. It is not about the content of the speech…

48. It is all about the PRESENCE they are bringing to the
speech.

49. Always Remember

50. Don’t fake it till you make it
Fake it till you
become it

51. So before you go into the next stressful evaluative situation
Take out just two minutes.
Configure your mind to cope the best in
that situation

52. Don’t leave that situation feeling
I didn’t show them who I am .

53. Leave that situation feeling like
I showed who I am.

55. Created By: Dipanshu Sehjal, IIIT Allahabad
During an Internship by Prof. Sameer Mathur
IIM Lucknow
www.IIMInternship.com