Amy Cuddy TED Talk - Fake it Till You Make it

Summary

This engaging talk explores the profound impact of body language on our self-perception and how it can influence our lives. The speaker introduces the concept of 'power poses' and their effects on hormones like testosterone and cortisol, which can alter our feelings of power and stress. Through personal anecdotes and scientific research, the talk encourages individuals to adopt confident postures to not only project strength to others but also to internalize that power, ultimately transforming their mindset and behavior.

Takeaways

• 🧍‍♂️ Posture Matters: Changing your posture for just two minutes can significantly impact your life by affecting your feelings and behavior.
• 🔍 Self-Audit: The speaker encourages the audience to audit their current body language to understand their natural state of openness or closed-off posture.
• 🤔 Nonverbal Communication: Body language is a powerful form of nonverbal communication that can influence others' perceptions and judgments about us.
• 🤝 The Power of a Handshake: A handshake or lack thereof can communicate a lot about our intentions and feelings towards others, even influencing political outcomes.
• 🦁 Dominance and Power: Nonverbal expressions of power involve expanding one's presence, such as taking up space and opening up the body.
• 🐥 Universal Expressions: The expressions of pride and power are universal and can be found across different cultures and even in those who are congenitally blind.
• 🤗 Power Dynamics: High and low power dynamics are evident in classroom settings, with some students exhibiting dominant body language and others appearing more submissive.
• 👩‍🏫 Gender and Participation: Women tend to exhibit more submissive body language, which may be related to their lower participation rates in evaluative situations.
• 💪 Fake It Till You Make It: The idea that adopting powerful body language can lead to actual feelings of power and confidence, affecting one's behavior and outcomes.
• 🧠 Minds and Hormones: The speaker discusses how our body language can influence our thoughts, feelings, and even hormone levels, such as testosterone and cortisol.
• 🚀 Small Changes, Big Impact: Small adjustments in body language before stressful situations can lead to significant changes in how we perform and are perceived.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the speaker's presentation?

The speaker focuses on the impact of body language, particularly power dynamics and non-verbal expressions, on both how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us.

What is the initial 'no tech life hack' suggested by the speaker?

The speaker suggests changing one's posture for two minutes as a 'no tech life hack' to potentially change the way one's life unfolds.

Why does the speaker ask the audience to perform a 'body audit' at the beginning of the presentation?

The speaker asks for a 'body audit' to make the audience aware of their current body language and posture, which will be revisited later to demonstrate the impact of body language on self-perception.

What is the significance of the handshake in non-verbal communication according to the speaker?

The handshake is highlighted as an important non-verbal cue that can lead to discussions and judgments about the individuals involved, even influencing media coverage.

What does the speaker mean by 'non-verbals' in the context of social science?

In the context of social science, 'non-verbals' refer to non-verbal cues or body language that people use to communicate, which can convey messages as effectively as spoken language.

How do social scientists study the effects of body language on judgments and inferences?

Social scientists study the effects of body language by observing how people make judgments and inferences based on non-verbal cues, and how these judgments can predict significant life outcomes such as hiring or dating decisions.

What is the 'Pride' expression as described by the speaker and how is it universal?

The 'Pride' expression involves raising the arms in a V-shape with the chin slightly lifted, which is a non-verbal cue of power and victory. It is universal as it is exhibited by both sighted and congenitally blind individuals when they win.

What is the relationship between power dynamics and body language in the animal kingdom?

In the animal kingdom, power dynamics are expressed through body language that involves expanding or making oneself bigger, taking up space, and opening up, which is a common behavior across different species.

How does the speaker's research relate to the power dynamics observed in an MBA classroom?

The speaker observes that MBA students exhibit a range of power non-verbals, from expansive and dominant behaviors to more closed and submissive postures, which also correlate with their level of participation and performance in the classroom.

What is the 'fake it till you make it' concept that the speaker explores with her collaborator Dana Carney?

The 'fake it till you make it' concept explores whether adopting powerful body language temporarily can lead to actual feelings of power and changes in behavior, potentially affecting outcomes such as participation and performance.

What are the physiological changes associated with power and submission as discussed by the speaker?

The speaker discusses that powerful individuals tend to have higher levels of testosterone (the dominance hormone) and lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), while the opposite is true for those who feel submissive or powerless.

How does the speaker's personal experience with feeling like an 'impostor' relate to the concept of 'faking it till you become it'?

The speaker's personal experience of feeling like an 'impostor' at Princeton and her subsequent journey of overcoming this feeling by 'faking it' illustrates the concept that adopting confident behaviors can eventually lead to genuine confidence and competence.

What advice does the speaker give regarding the application of 'faking it till you become it' in stressful situations?

The speaker advises taking two minutes before entering a stressful evaluative situation to adopt powerful body language, such as in an elevator, bathroom stall, or behind a closed door, to potentially influence one's mindset and performance.

Outlines

00:00

🧍‍♂️ The Power of Posture in Body Language

The speaker introduces a 'no tech life hack' that involves changing one's posture for two minutes to significantly influence life outcomes. They prompt the audience to assess their current body language, noting common self-limiting postures. The speaker delves into the impact of body language on judgments and life outcomes, such as hiring decisions and dating. They emphasize the importance of nonverbal cues in communication, highlighting the influence of power dynamics and dominance through body language, as seen in both humans and animals. The concept of 'Pride' as a universal expression of power is discussed, suggesting that even those who are congenitally blind exhibit this posture when victorious. The speaker concludes by contrasting the expansive postures of the powerful with the constricting postures of the powerless.

05:02

🤝 Nonverbal Expressions in Power Dynamics

This paragraph explores the relationship between nonverbal expressions of power and dominance in various social settings, including the classroom. The speaker observes MBA students and notes the range of power nonverbals they exhibit, from expansive, dominant postures to those of submission and contraction. A gender disparity is identified, with women more likely to display less powerful body language. The speaker connects these nonverbals to participation levels in the classroom, which is crucial for grades, and hypothesizes that adopting more powerful poses could potentially enhance participation. The paragraph also touches on the idea of 'faking it till you make it,' suggesting that adopting powerful poses could lead to actual feelings of power and improved self-perception.

10:03

💪 Hormonal Impact of Power Postures

The speaker discusses the physiological effects of power poses, focusing on the hormones testosterone and cortisol. They explain that powerful individuals typically have higher levels of testosterone, associated with dominance, and lower levels of cortisol, associated with stress. The speaker's research, in collaboration with Dana Carney, investigates whether adopting powerful poses can influence these hormonal levels and, by extension, one's thoughts and feelings. The speaker's personal narrative of overcoming a sense of being an 'impostor' through the act of 'faking it' is shared, illustrating the transformative potential of power poses. The message is to 'fake it till you become it,' emphasizing the importance of internalizing the change in posture to achieve lasting effects.

15:05

🚀 Implementing Power Poses for Success

In the final paragraph, the speaker provides actionable advice on how to apply power poses before stressful or evaluative situations, such as job interviews. They clarify that the poses are not meant to be used during interactions but rather as a preparatory step to influence one's mindset. The speaker recounts their own experiences with impostor syndrome and how adopting power poses helped them overcome feelings of inadequacy. They encourage the audience to use these 'tiny tweaks' to lead to 'big changes,' suggesting that even a two-minute investment in power poses can significantly impact one's confidence and performance in high-stakes scenarios.

Keywords

💡Posture

Posture refers to the position or bearing of the body, especially when standing or sitting. In the video, posture is highlighted as a non-verbal cue that can significantly impact one's confidence and how others perceive them. The speaker suggests that changing one's posture for just two minutes can alter the way one's life unfolds, emphasizing the power of body language in communication.

💡Body Language

Body language encompasses the non-verbal cues and gestures that individuals use to communicate. The video discusses the importance of body language in making judgments and inferences about others, as well as its impact on personal feelings and physiology. The speaker uses body language to explore the concept of power dynamics and how certain non-verbal expressions can convey dominance or submission.

💡Non-Verbals

Non-verbals, as used in the video, is a term for non-verbal communication, which includes body language, facial expressions, and other physical cues. The speaker emphasizes that non-verbals are a form of language that can influence both others' perceptions and one's own mental state. The video suggests that being aware of and adjusting non-verbals can lead to positive behavioral and physiological changes.

💡Power Dynamics

Power dynamics refer to the relationships and interactions between individuals based on the relative distribution of power. In the video, the concept is explored through the lens of non-verbal expressions of power and dominance. The speaker discusses how certain body postures can indicate power and influence outcomes such as job interviews and social interactions.

💡Dominance

Dominance, in the context of the video, is the state of having control or authority over others. It is linked to specific non-verbal behaviors such as expansive postures and gestures that convey power. The speaker mentions that both humans and animals exhibit similar behaviors when they are in a dominant position or are feeling powerful at a given moment.

💡Pride

Pride, as discussed in the video, is a non-verbal expression of power that is displayed when an individual feels a sense of achievement or victory. The speaker cites research by Jessica Tracy, showing that even individuals who are congenitally blind exhibit the 'pride' gesture, indicating its universal and innate nature.

💡Participation

Participation in the video refers to the active involvement of individuals in a group setting, such as a classroom. The speaker notes a correlation between body language and the level of participation, particularly in the context of MBA students. It is suggested that those who exhibit more dominant non-verbal cues tend to participate more, which can impact their academic performance.

💡Gender Grade Gap

The gender grade gap is a phenomenon where there are differences in academic performance between genders. In the video, the speaker observes that women in business school are less likely to participate actively due to their body language, which may contribute to a disparity in grades. This concept is used to highlight the impact of non-verbal communication on opportunities and outcomes.

💡Testosterone

Testosterone is a hormone associated with dominance and aggression in the video. The speaker discusses how individuals with high power positions or those who feel powerful have higher levels of testosterone, which can influence their assertiveness and confidence. It is one of the physiological factors that can change as a result of adopting certain non-verbal behaviors.

💡Cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone related to stress and the body's response to it. In the context of the video, the speaker explains that powerful individuals tend to have lower cortisol levels, indicating a reduced stress response. This hormone is contrasted with testosterone to illustrate the balance between power and stress reactivity.

💡Impostor Syndrome

Impostor syndrome is the feeling of inadequacy and fear of being exposed as a 'fraud' despite evidence of success. The speaker shares a personal story of struggling with this syndrome after a serious accident, which affected her academic performance. The video uses this concept to illustrate the power of non-verbal cues in overcoming self-doubt and internalizing a sense of belonging and capability.

Highlights

Free no tech life hack involving changing posture for two minutes to potentially change life outcomes.

Encourages self-audit of body language and posture to understand how it may be communicating to others.

Body language is a form of non-verbal communication that can influence judgments and outcomes.

Handshakes and other nonverbal gestures can have significant social and professional implications.

Judgments based on body language can predict life outcomes such as hiring and promotions.

Political candidate's facial expressions can predict election outcomes.

Emoticons in online negotiations can affect the value claimed from the negotiation.

Nonverbals not only influence others but also our own thoughts, feelings, and physiology.

Power dynamics are expressed nonverbally through expansive body language.

The expression of power, known as 'Pride', is a universal and ancient behavior.

Powerful individuals exhibit more assertive, confident, and optimistic behaviors.

Hormonal differences between powerful and powerless individuals include testosterone and cortisol levels.

High power individuals have high testosterone and low cortisol, indicating dominance and stress response.

The concept of 'fake it till you make it' is explored in the context of power dynamics.

A study on the effects of power posing on hormone levels and behavior in a stressful job interview scenario.

Personal narrative of overcoming the feeling of being an impostor through 'faking it till you become it'.

The transformative power of small behavioral changes and the impact on self-perception and success.

Transcripts

so I want to start by offering you a

free no tech life hack and all it

requires of you is this that you change

your posture for two minutes but before

I give it away I want to ask you to

right now do a little audit of your body

and what you're doing with your body so

how many of you are sort of making

yourself smaller maybe your hunching

crossing your legs maybe wrapping your

ankles sometimes we hold on to our arms

like this sometimes we spread out I see

you so I want you to pay attention to

what you're doing right now

we're going to come back to that in a

few minutes and I'm hoping that if you

sort of learn to tweak this a little bit

it could significantly change the way

your life unfolds so we're really

fascinated with body language and we're

particularly interested in other

people's body language you know we're

interested in like you know a an awkward

interaction or a smile or a contemptuous

glance or maybe a very awkward wink or

maybe even something like a handshake

here they are arriving at number 10 and

look at this lucky policeman gets to

shake hands with the President of the

United States or near comes the prime

minister of it

so a handshake or the lack of the

handshake can have us talking for weeks

and weeks and weeks even the BBC in the

New York Times so so obviously when we

think about nonverbal behavior or body

language but we call it a non verbals as

social scientists its language so we

think about communication when we think

about communication we think about

interactions so what is your body

language communicating to me what's mine

communicating to you and there's a lot

of reason to believe that this is this

is a valid way to look at this so social

scientists have spent a long time

looking at the effects of our body

language or other people's body language

on judgments and we make sweeping

judgments and inferences from body

language and those judgments can predict

really meaningful life outcomes like who

we hire or promote who we ask out on a

date

for example Melanie on body a researcher

at Tufts University shows that when

people watch 30 minute a 30 second

soundless clips of real

physician-patient interactions their

judgments of the physicians niceness

predict whether or not that physician

will be sued so it doesn't have to do so

much with whether or not that physician

was incompetent but do we like that

person and how they interacted even more

dramatic Alex Todorov at Princeton has

shown us that judgments of political

candidates faces in just one second

predicts 70% of US Senate and

gubernatorial race outcomes and even

let's go digital emoticons used well in

online negotiations can lead you to

claim more value from that negotiation

if you use them poorly bad idea right so

so when we think of non verbals we think

of how we judge others how they judge us

and what the outcomes are we tend to

forget though the other audience that's

influenced by our nonverbals and that's

ourselves we are also influenced by our

nonverbals our thoughts and our feelings

and our physiology

so what nonverbals am i talking about

I'm a social psychologist I study

prejudice and I teach at a competitive

business school so it was inevitable

that I would become interested in power

dynamics

I became especially interested in

nonverbal expressions of power and

dominance and what are non-verbal

expressions of power and dominance well

this is what they are so in the animal

kingdom

they are about expanding so you make

yourself big you stretch out you take up

space you're basically opening up it's

about opening up and this is true across

the animal kingdom it's not just limited

to primates and humans do the same thing

so they do this both when they when they

have power sort of chronically and also

when they're feeling powerful in the

moment and this one is especially

interesting because it really shows us

how universal and old these expressions

of power are this expression which is

known as Pride

Jessica Tracy has studied she shows that

people who are born with sight and

people who are congenitally blind do

this when they win at a physical

competition so when they cross the

finish line and they've won it doesn't

matter if they've never seen anyone do

it they do this so the arms up in the V

the chin is slightly lifted what do we

do and we feel powerless we do it

exactly the opposite we close up we wrap

ourselves up we make ourselves small we

don't want to bump into the person next

to us so again both animals and humans

do the same thing and this is what

happens when you put together high and

low power so what we tend to do when it

comes to power is that we complement the

others nonverbals

so if someone's being really powerful

with us we tend to make ourselves

smaller we don't mirror them we do the

opposite of them so I'm watching this

behavior in the classroom and what do I

notice I notice that MBA students really

exhibit the full range of power

nonverbal so you have people who are

like caricatures of alphas like really

coming to the room they get right into

the middle of the room before class even

starts like they really want to occupy

space when they sit down they're sort of

spread out they raise their hands like

this you have other people who are

virtually collapsing when they come in

as soon as they come and you see it you

see it on their faces and their bodies

and they sit in their chair and they

make themselves tiny and they go like

this when they Rea

their hand I noticed a couple things

about this one you're not going to be

surprised it seems to be related to

gender so women are much more likely to

do this kind of thing than men women

feel chronically less powerful than men

so this is not surprising but the other

thing I noticed is that it also seemed

to be related to the extent to which the

students were participating and how well

they were participating and this is

really important in the MBA classroom

because participation counts for half

the grade so business schools have been

struggling with its gender grade gap you

get these equally qualified women and

men coming in and then you get these

differences in grades and it seems to be

partly attributable to participation so

I started to wonder you know okay so you

have these people coming in like this

and they're participating is it possible

that we could get people to fake it and

would it lead them to participate more

so my main collaborator Dana Carney

who's at Berkeley and I really wanted to

know can you fake it til you make it

like can you do this just for a little

while and actually experience a

behavioral outcome that makes you seem

more powerful so we know that our

nonverbals govern how other people think

and feel about us there's a lot of

evidence but our question really was do

our nonverbals govern how we think and

feel about ourselves there's some

evidence that they do so for example

when we we smile when we feel happy but

also when we're forced to smile by

holding a pen in our teeth like this it

makes us feel happy so it goes both ways

when it comes to power it also goes both

ways so when you when you feel powerful

you're more likely to do this but it's

also possible that when you when you

pretend to be powerful you are more

likely to actually feel powerful so the

second question really was you know so

we know that our minds change our bodies

is it also true that that our bodies

change our minds and when I say minds in

the case of the powerful what am I

talking about so I'm talking about

thoughts and feelings and the sort of

physiological things that

make up our thoughts and feelings and in

my case that's hormones I look at

hormones so what do the minds of the

powerful versus the powerless look like

so powerful people tend to be not

surprisingly more assertive and more

confident more more optimistic they

actually feel that they're going to win

even at games of chance they also tend

to be able to think more abstractly so

there are a lot of differences they take

more risks there are a lot of

differences between powerful and

powerless people physiologically there

are also are differences on two key

hormones testosterone which is the

dominance hormone and cortisol which is

the stress hormone so what we find is

that high power alpha males and primate

hierarchies have high testosterone and

low cortisol and powerful and effective

leaders also have high testosterone and

low cortisol so what does that mean when

do you think about power 10 people

tended to think only about testosterone

because that wasn't about dominance but

really power is also about how you react

to stress so do you want the high power

leader that's dominant high on

testosterone butts really stress

reactive probably not right you want the

person who's powerful and assertive and

dominant but not very stress reactive

the person who's laid-back you know

where can you actually apply this which

we cared about of course and so we think

it's really what what what matters mean

where you want to use this is evaluative

situations like social threat situations

where are you being evaluated either by

your friends like for teenagers at the

lunchroom table it could be you know for

some people speaking at a school board

meeting it might be giving a pitch or

giving a talk like this or doing a job

interview we decided that the one that

most people could relate to because most

people had been through was the job

interview so we published these these

findings and the media are all over and

they say okay so this is what you do

when you go in for the job interview

right

you know so we were of course horrified

and I said oh my god no no that's not

what we meant at all for numerous

reasons no no no don't do that

again this is not about you talking to

other people it's you talking to

yourself what do you do before you go

into a job interview you do this right

you're sitting down you're looking at

your iPhone or your Android not trying

to leave anyone out you are you know

you're looking at your notes you're

hunting up making yourself small when

really what you should be doing maybe is

this like in the bathroom right do that

find two minutes so that's what we want

to test okay so we bring people into a

lab and they do a couple they do either

higher blow power poses again they go

through a very stressful job interview

it's five minutes long they are being

recorded they're being judged also and

the judges are trained to give no

nonverbal feedback so um when I tell

people about this that our bodies change

our minds and our minds can change our

behavior and our behavior can change our

outcomes they say to me I don't if

you'll fake right so I said fake it till

you make it

because I want to tell you a little

story about being an impostor and

feeling like I'm not supposed to be here

when I was 19 I was in a really bad car

accident I was thrown out of a car

rolled several times I was thrown from

the car and I woke up in a head injury

rehab Ward and I had been withdrawn from

college and I learned that my IQ had

dropped by two standard deviations which

was very traumatic

I knew my IQ because I had identified

with being smart and I had been called

gifted as a child

so I'm taken out of college I keep

trying to go back they say you're not

going to finish college like just you

know there's there other things for you

to do but that's not going to work out

for you so I really struggled with this

and I have to say having your identity

taken from you your core identity and if

for me it was being smart having that

taken from you there's nothing that

leaves you feeling more powerless than

that so I felt entirely powerless I

worked and worked and worked and I got

lucky and worked and got lucky and

worked eventually I graduated from

college took me four years longer than

my peers and I convinced someone by my

angel advisor Susan Fiske to take me

on and so I ended up at Princeton and I

was like I am not supposed to be here I

am an impostor

and the night before my first year

talking the first year talk at Princeton

is a 20 minute talk to 20 people that's

it I was so afraid of being found out

the next day that I called her and said

I'm quitting

she was like you are not quitting

because I took a gamble on you and

you're staying you're going to stay and

this is what you're going to do you were

going to fake it you're going to take

you're going to do every talk that you

ever get asked to do you're just going

to do it and do it and do it even if

you're terrified and just paralyzed and

having an out-of-body experience until

you have this moment where you say oh my

gosh I'm doing it like I have become

this I am actually doing this so that's

what I did five years in grad school a

few years you know I'm at Northwestern I

moved to Harvard I'm in Harvard I'm not

really thinking about it anymore but for

a long time I had been thinking not

supposed to be here not supposed to be

here so the end of my first year at

Harvard a student who had not talked in

class the entire semester who I had said

look you got a participate or else

you're going to fail came into my office

I really didn't know her at all and she

said she came in totally defeated and

she said I'm not supposed to be here and

that was the moment for me because two

things happened one was that I realized

oh my gosh I don't feel like that

anymore you know I don't feel that

anymore but she does and I get that

feeling and the second one she is

supposed to be here like she can fake it

she can become it she was like yes you

are you are supposed to be here and

tomorrow you're gonna fake it you're

gonna make yourself powerful and you

know you're gonna

and

you're gonna go we're gonna go into the

classroom and you are gonna give the

best comment ever you know and she gave

the best comment ever and people turned

on they're like oh my god I didn't even

notice her sitting there you know she

comes back to me months later and I

realize that she had not just faked it

till she made it she had actually faked

it till she became it so she had changed

and so I I want to say to you don't fake

it till you make it fake it till you

become it you know it's not do it enough

until you actually become it and

internalize the last thing I'm going to

leave you with is this tiny tweaks can

lead to big changes so this is two

minutes two minutes two minutes two

minutes before you go into the next

stressful evaluative situation for two

minutes try doing this in the elevator

in a bathroom stall at your desk behind

closed door