In 2010, researchers at Harvard Business School claimed to have found (PDF) that striking powerful poses caused hormonal and behavioral changes. "Power poses" seemed to raise testosterone, lower cortisol, and increase risk-taking behavior. 
 
 As with all research, replication was needed to check the validity of the results. An attempt at replication using additional controls, published recently in Psychological Science, found no behavioral or hormonal effects of “power poses," although they did result in a boost in subjective perception of power. In other words, the original research did not hold up. 
 
 The idea that powerful poses could have hormonal effects ties in with a prominent idea in behavioral science: the hypothesis that physical interaction with the environment affects cognitive behavior. It would make sense that there should be a physiological vehicle (such as hormonal changes) for this effect. 
 
 A team of researchers led by Eva Ranehill at the University of Zurich tried to replicate the original Harvard Business School study with some important tweaks. First, they used a bigger sample size. The original study used 42 participants; the replication used 200. Secondly, they controlled for experimenter’s bias, which is the possibility that subtle cues from the researchers could be affecting the results. 
 
 The basic methods of the study were the same. Each participant started out by providing a saliva sample. They then performed a “filler” task while in a series of two different poses, either powerful or powerless. The powerful poses took up space, like leaning back in a chair with feet up on a table or leaning across a desk. In contrast, the powerless poses were closed in, like having someone hold their hands in their lap while hunched forward. The poses were the same as in the original study but were held for three minutes instead of the original one minute. 
 
 The replication deviated from the original study at this stage by giving the pose instructions via computer, which should prevent the researchers from subtly biasing their subjects. The experimenters' own biases were also handled because they didn’t witness this stage, so they wouldn’t know later on which poses the participants had taken. But, after the experiment was concluded, they reviewed footage of this step to ensure that participants had complied with the instructions. 
 
 Next, the participants played games that assessed their willingness to take risks—gambling a sure payment on the chance of a higher payment—and their inclination to be competitive in a math task. They provided a second saliva sample, allowing the researchers to compare their hormone levels before and after the power stances. Finally, they filled in a questionnaire that asked about their feelings of power and checked whether they had found their stances physically uncomfortable. 
 
 The results were very different from the original experiment. Participants who had taken powerful poses reported feeling more powerful, but there was no trace of this feeling in the behavioral tasks. Of course, it’s possible that these were just the wrong kinds of tasks and that a subjective feeling of power could influence behavior in circumstances other than risk-taking or competitiveness. Nonetheless, it represented a failure to replicate the result seen in the original study. 
 
 There was also no difference in hormone levels between the powerful group and the powerless group. The researchers also analyzed the effect on each gender and checked whether it made any difference to exclude participants who had found the positions physically uncomfortable. There were still no significant differences in hormone levels. 
 
 What’s tricky here is that although this was a close replication of the original study, there were differences that could have been important. For one thing, the replication study didn’t use deception with participants. Participants were told before they started that the experiment was about hormones and body position (although they didn’t get any more detail). This could have had a subtle effect on the participants’ responses. 
 
 There was also the fact that the “filler” task used during the poses involved faces in the original study but words in the replication. It’s possible that the extra social element to the original task is what produced the effect. Finally, it’s worth considering that the populations were from different countries, raising the possibility of a cultural effect. 
 
 The conclusion is that replication is hard. In some ways, you need multiple replications of the replication to get a firm grip on problems like these. Each study will help to eliminate possibilities and raise more exact questions that can help to chase down a reliable, replicable effect. 
 
 Psychological Science, 2015. DOI: 10.1177/0956797614553946 (About DOIs). ||||| This is a set of web collections curated by Mark Graham using the Archive-IT service of the Internet Archive. They include web captures of the ISKME.org website as well as captures from sites hosted by IGC.org.These web captures are available to the general public.For more information about this collection please feel free to contact Mark via Send Mail ||||| There is a simple strategy that you can use to reduce anxiety, improve your ability to deal with stress, and boost your confidence. 
 
 The best part? It works immediately and only takes two minutes to do. 
 
 Before we talk about how to get started, though, I wanted to let you know I researched and compiled science-backed ways to stick to good habits and stop procrastinating. Want to check out my insights? Download my free PDF guide “Transform Your Habits” here. 
 
 Here's the deal… 
 
 
 
 Your Hormones and Your Confidence 
 
 Recent research coming out of Harvard University, The University of Oregon, The University of Texas and many other places is revealing that powerful and effective leaders not only share similar mindsets, but also similar hormone levels. More specifically, powerful leaders tend to have higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisol. 
 
 Higher levels of testosterone (in both men and women) lead to increased feelings of confidence. Meanwhile, lower levels of cortisol lead to decreased anxiety and an improved ability to deal with stress. 
 
 Here's what that means: if you enjoy these hormone levels, then you are biologically primed to be more assertive, confident, and relaxed. At the same time, you will be less reactive to stress and more likely to handle pressure situations well. In other words, the correct hormone levels can make you feel more confident and less stressed. 
 
 Sounds good, right? 
 
 What is particularly important about testosterone and coritsol is that your levels of each hormone can change rapidly depending on the social, physical, and environmental cues that surround you. 
 
 What does this have to do with feeling more confident? 
 
 Well, it turns out that one of the physical cues that impacts these two hormones is body language. And if you understand how to improve your body language, then you can increase your testosterone, decrease your cortisol, and “magically” feel more confident and risk tolerant. 
 
 Let's talk about the link between body language and confidence… 
 
 Body Language: The “Power Poses” 
 
 Amy Cuddy is a researcher at Harvard University who studies body language and the impact it has on your hormones. 
 
 Cuddy and her team have classified different body positions as “high power” or “low power” poses. In general, the high power poses are open and relaxed while the low power poses are closed and guarded. 
 
 Below is an image showing the different types of power poses. 
 
 Cuddy and her research team studied the impact of high power and low power poses by conducting a research study on 42 students. (Original article available here.) 
 
 Here's how the study went down… 
 
 First, a saliva sample was taken from each subject and their testosterone and cortisol levels were measured. 
 
 Second, the subject was asked to sit in either a high power pose or a low power pose for two minutes. 
 
 Third, a second sample of saliva was taken from each subject and their testosterone and cortisol levels were measured again. 
 
 When the researchers looked at the results, they were stunned by the impact that body language had on the hormones within the body. High power poses increased testosterone by 20 percent and decreased cortisol levels by 25 percent. 
 
 Here's a graph showing the results… 
 
 This brings us to the most important question… 
 
 How can you make this actionable in your life? 
 
 Stand Like This for 2 Minutes Per Day 
 
 The most well–known and versatile high power pose is nicknamed “The Wonder Woman” pose. You simple stand tall with your chest out and your hands on your hips. The images above show powerful women like Christine Lagarde and Beyonce in classic “Wonder Woman” pose. 
 
 Just to be clear: despite the nickname and the photos, the impact of these poses is just as relevant to men as it is to women. 
 
 Making This Work in Real Life 
 
 If you're aware of it, body language is easy to adjust throughout your day. 
 
 But if you're anything like me, you'll get busy with other tasks and completely forget to check your body language. Because of this, I've found it most useful to insert a high power pose into my morning routine for 2 or 3 minutes and then move on with the rest of my life. 
 
 Here's a pattern that I have been playing with recently… 
 
 Each morning, I'll wake up and stand in a high power pose for two minutes. While I'm doing that, I'll close my eyes, breathe in deeply for a count of 3, hold for 1, and then breathe out fully for a count of 5. In this way, I combine breathing exercises, meditation, and power poses for a relaxing and confidence–boosting start to the day. 
 
 Plus, it only takes 120 seconds. It's kind of hard to say you don't have time for it. 
 
 For more ideas on how to improve your morning routine, read this: 8 Ways to Improve Your Morning Routine 
 
 What You Should Do Now 
 
 It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting. 
 
 —Millard Fuller, Founder of Habitat for Humanity 
 
 Just to be clear: I don't believe that body language is the end–all, be–all of becoming more confident. 
 
 That said, it is pretty clear that confidence is a two–way street that involves both your mind and body. Sure, your personality and your emotional state will impact your confidence levels, but it's obvious that assuming better body language, taking up space, and expanding your physical presence can play an important role as well. 
 
 Most importantly, you now have another tool in your toolbox to use whenever you need it. 
 
 If you’re feeling stressed a few minutes before your next presentation, interview, or meeting — take a moment to adjust your posture and stand in a powerful position. Put your hands on your hips, keep your chin up, and your chest out. Doing this for just two minutes will raise your testosterone and increase your confidence, while also decreasing your cortisol and improving your ability to handle stress. 
 
 Your behaviors and emotions are firmly tied. The most powerful leaders don’t merely think a certain way, they carry themselves a certain way. You should do the same. 
 
 Watch Amy Cuddy’s 20–Minute TED Talk 
 
 Want more? You can watch Amy Cuddy talk about her research and the impact of body language in her 20–minute TED Talk. It’s well worth the time. 
 
 Read Next
– A popular and inspiring 2012 TED Talk extolled the benefits of "power posing": That is, stretching your body into what researchers called "open, expansive postures" associated with dominance in order to feel more powerful. It's an encouraging idea, as the researchers put it, "that a person can, by assuming two simple one-minute poses, embody power and instantly become more powerful." (See some of the poses here.) But new findings are casting doubt on the original US study, Ars Technica reports. A University of Zurich researcher led an effort to replicate the findings, but it didn't work out the same way. Both studies involved participants giving saliva samples and engaging in various poses, either "open" or more closed-in. But the new study involved 200 participants, compared to the original study's 42. And in the new study, participants got their instructions through a computer rather than a person, thus theoretically preventing the possibility that an experimenter was creating some kind of bias with her instructions. After performing their poses, subjects participated in games along the lines of gambling, which involved deciding what level of risk to take or how competitive to be. While the subjects who'd performed power poses said they felt more powerful, they didn't actually behave differently in the games, Ars Technica reports, nor did saliva samples indicate a difference in hormones between the two groups. Still, there are a number of complicating factors, including the fact that the two studies were performed in different countries. (Feeling an inspiration drought? Here are some uplifting stories to fix that.)