There is good reason why Amy Cuddy’s talk on the power of body language is the second most viewed Ted Talk. The Harvard social psychologist shares her evidence about how the positioning of our bodies not only affects how others perceive us, but more importantly how we perceive ourselves.
Cuddy highlights our society’s obsession with body language. We analyse it across politics and the media. We use it to instantly form judgments about others, in both work and social situations. That being the case, she points out that in any situation people who are powerful, either in that moment or those who have power chronically, exhibit certain kinds of body language. By examining these ‘power poses’, Cuddy recognizes the well-known fact that our minds change our bodies. Yet the question she examines is how do our non-verbal change our mindsIn this talk, Cuddy shows that how we think about ourselves affects how we act, and how others perceive us. This change is not just psychological but hormonal. She draws on her own personal experiences to illustrate her research, giving an engaging and informative talk. The small changes she suggests, could have a huge effect on your personal and business life. It’s an essential watch.
By Laura Stewart
