Taking a two minute power posture will boost your confidence and testosterone, helping you perform in high stakes social situations.
Does that sound too good to be true? Maybe it is.
We dissect the research behind that claim. Learn the key takeaways from the original Harvard study on power posture, their main flaws and criticisms, and how to apply the proven elements in your social life.
If you are not interested in the nuances of the scientific research but are just looking for actionable advice, you can skip the first part and jump right into the action.
Table of Contents
The Original Harvard Study on Power Posture
The term power posture was coined in the original study from Harvard. The researchers investigated if posing in high-power positions, meaning an expanded, open posture, leads to an actual increase in power.
They concluded, that taking two power poses for one minute each results in a change in physiology (elevations in testosterone, decreases in cortisol) that leads to the person having an increased feeling of power and a higher risk tolerance.
Study design
The study’s 42 participants were randomly assigned to either assume a high-power or low-power position group. They were then told to assume two body positions for one minute each.
The participants did not know what the study was investigating. Electrocardiography leads were attached to their bodies. They were told that the test was about measuring the accuracy of the sensors depending on the sensor placement relative to their heart and that was why they had to take certain positions.
Their risk taking behavior was evaluated by giving them gambling tasks. Their feelings of power was evaluated via self reports of how “powerful” and “in charge” they felt on a scale of one to four.
The participants’ cortisol and testosterone levels were measured with saliva samples before and after taking the assigned poses.
What are the 2 power poses?
The first high-power pose used in the study required the person to sit on a chair with their feet rested on a desk in front of them. They were leaning back in the chair with their hands behind their head and an open chest.
The second power pose was to stand up with their arms spread apart and rested on the desk in front of them.
The goal of the power poses was to display maximum openness and expansiveness.
The low-power poses, on the other hand, were supposed to display the opposite. The participants took contractive positions with closed limbs.
Findings and Claims
The researchers found a statistically relevant increase in testosterone and decrease in cortisol of the high-power group in comparison with the low-power group.
The risk taking behavior was increased. While in the low-power group only 60% of participants opted for the riskier option, 86.36% of the high-power posing group took the risk.
The average self rating of feeling “powerful and in charge” on a scale of one to four was 2.57 in the high-power vs. 1.83 in the low-power group.
The scientists concluded that by “simply changing physical posture, an individual prepares his or her mental and physiological systems to endure difficult and stressful situations, and perhaps to actually improve confidence and performance in situations such as interviewing for jobs, speaking in public, disagreeing with a boss, or taking potentially profitable risks.”
Popularization of the power posture
Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk
The results of the study became massively popular after a presentation by one of the researchers, Amy Cuddy. Her Ted Talk about the findings of the study has over 69 million views to date.
Cuddy gained popularity and power posing became a trend. Books were published on the topic and the power pose was taught as a scientifically proven, quick and easy method to boost your confidence before a high-stakes social situation.
Tony Robbins and the Power Posture Movement
Tony Robbins also contributed meaningfully to the popularization of the power posture. As a well-known self-help author, motivational speaker, and life-coach, he has always taught that by changing ones physiology, one can change their psychology.
Although he teaches a more dynamic application of powerful body positions and gestures, his general approach has similarities.
Therefore, it is no surprise that Tony Robbins became an advocate of the power posture after learning about the study from Harvard.
Criticism surrounding the Harvard Study
As the hype and excitement about the study’s results increased, more research was done on the topic. It turned out that the results could not be replicated and criticism about methodological errors became louder.
Replication Issues: Do power poses work?
To better understand the real effects of power posing, a group of researchers from Germany and the U.S. conducted a meta analysis, looking at 88 studies involving 9779 participants.
They looked at the effects of power poses and of upright postures in comparison to a low-power pose or a slumped posture, respectively. They found that both have a significant positive effect on the participants’ self reporting of confidence.
The behavioral effects (e.g. risk taking behavior) were also statistically relevant but less robust than the self reporting effects. They had more exposure to publication bias, meaning that studies that did not find the effects were often not published.
The authors of the meta analysis were able to also include data from unpublished studies and control for some level of publication bias.
However, the researchers did not find any evidence for the physiological effects. Changes in hormone levels (e.g. higher testosterone or lower cortisol) were not observed in the meta analysis data.
Methodological Critiques
So, why did the initial Harvard study on power posture get those results while others could not replicate them?
The scientists made a number of mistakes in designing their study and analyzing their data.
Dana Carney, one of the authors of the original study acknowledged a lot of mistakes and distanced herself from the results she found in this study. She published a statement that, in retrospect, lists all the errors made and that in the light of new evidence she does “not believe that power pose effects are real”.
Some of the main problems with the study she lists are:
- Tiny sample size
- “Flimsy data” with small effects that are barely noticeable in most participants
- Effects observed on testosterone as a function of expansive posture may have been due to the fact that more expansive postured subjects took the “risk” and you can only “win” if you take the risk. Therefore, this testosterone effect — if it is even to be believed — may merely be a winning effect, not an expansive posture effect.
Moreover, the study only looked at the actions of the test subjects in a non-social context. The gambling task only looked at their decision making to opt for a roll of a dice or not.
Other people and social actions were not involved. Yet, the authors suggested that they found evidence that the power posture is effective to use before high stakes social situations. Compared to the simple gambling task, those social situations are a lot more dynamic and involve knowledge and skills rather than just pure luck.
Another criticism made by many experts, that also the meta analysis found no answer for, is the following:
The statistically relevant effects of a power pose were only compared to a low-power contracted pose, not to a normal or neutral pose. Therefore, it is not clear if the self reported increased feeling of confidence came from the power posture.
It is also possible that the power pose has the same effect as a normal, upright body posture. The difference to the low-power pose could just be explained by a lower feeling of confidence induced in those contracted positions.
Some researchers found evidence that the effects mainly came from the negative impact from the low-power contracted poses but they did not have a lot of data to work with.
Has power posing been debunked?
As the broader data shows, power posing could have some positive effects and increase the subjective feeling of confidence, and therefore also lead to more confident behavior.
However, it is not clear if the power posture was the driver of the observed effect in the research. It is also possible that the contracted pose, to which the power pose was compared to, decreased confidence and that the power pose merely kept it at a “normal” level.
It is now clear that the physiological changes that the original Harvard study found, are not real. With a simple two minute power posture you cannot increase testosterone and decrease cortisol.
Real-Life Applications of Power Posture
Since it is possible but not proven that a two minute power pose can increase your feeling of confidence, you can experiment yourself. If you are lucky, it works for you and you feel a slight increase in confidence. In the worst case, you feel no effect.
The main takeaway, however, is that the meta analysis found a significant positive effect of an upright posture compared to slouching in terms of a subjective feeling of confidence and resulting behavioral changes.
Rather than looking for a cheat code you can use before a high stakes social situation, you can also apply that insight during social situations.
Standing with a strong posture, instead of a slouched one, will not only, as the data suggests, give yourself a stronger feeling of self confidence but also display it to the people you interact with.
If it is hard for you to maintain a strong, confident posture, you can learn how to improve it. Although changes won’t come overnight, implementing healthy habits and regular exercise will improve your posture over time.
