The Case For Amy Cuddy: Why Smart Hustlers Still Gain Power From The Power Pose
Power posing. Superman does it. Wonder Woman does it. Do you do it?
Power posing is standing in your most confident pose for two minutes. It is said to increase testosterone, decrease cortisone and increase feelings of power and tolerance for risk.
There’s more to it, but for this discussion that’s what it is; standing in place to make you more powerful. Except now the concept that made Amy Cuddy, the second most viewed TED talk presenter, famous has been said to have been a false finding of a research study that allegedly used “a set of statistical tricks.”
What’s a Smart Hustler to take away from a failed research experiment that makes you more powerful and confident?
Power and Confidence
See, I’m all for the power pose. I practice it and know a few, very smart people who touted this practice before it was said to have no merit. It works for me.
How? My guess is that, like meditation, the pose or posture you take while you are in the physical stance has little to do with the effectiveness of the stance. It’s what your mind does during this time that has the most impact.
During my power posing sessions, in the shower because I have to multitask, I also recite a power mantra. It’s “I’m Oprah powerful!” I say that for two minutes (the suggested length of time you are supposed to be in your power pose).
[Tweet “Why @Ellalaverne still stands by the #powerpose.”]This mantra is born of the fact that my “aha!” moment happened during The Life You Want Tour with Oprah Winfrey a few years ago when I realized that there is no difference between me and Oprah. Not one when it comes to the thing that created her success. It was her faith in herself that stood strong when she was in kindergarten, in college, on her couch bemoaning being fired. She always knew she could do more and should be doing more.
“I’m Oprah powerful!” because as long as I know it can be done, I take the word “no” to mean there is better out there. “I’m Oprah powerful!” because as Rumi says, “what we seek is seeking us.” “I’m Oprah powerful!” because no matter what my pose, my mind is in control of the energy I put into the universe.
So while a very widely-used technique for standing has been disproven, I will still confidently wield my Power Pose. It reminds me to be still (like sitting in meditation) while affirming my confidence and my power.
I suggest that any Smart Hustler should use Cuddy’s famous advice to Power Pose while they keep in mind where true confidence and power reside. It has always been mind over matter, Hustlers.