Want to Be More Confident? Science Says Do This
While it's no secret that exercise releases a chemical fix of dopamine in our brains to instantly make us feel happy, many people don't realize how many ties our bodiesand the chemicals that regulate themhave to our brains.
Sometimes overanalyzing our mental habits, and working to change our mindsets to feel a certain way, is actually not the most effective approach. In fact, we often underestimate how much power the physical can have on the mental, especially when it comes to our emotions.
The impact our bodies have on feeling more confident is no exception.
Although it's true that confidence ultimately comes from self-acceptance, it has been scientifically proven time and again that one of the most important factors in determining how we perceive ourselves is our posture.
Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy's TED Talk in 2012 on the significance of body language on confidence shows that assuming a "power pose" actually changes the hormones in our brainsafter just two minutesto leave us feeling stronger, less stressed, and more confident.
Her research unsurprisingly furthers information we've known all along: That your body actually participates in a real feedback cycle with the chemicals in your brain, influencing how they should behave.
On a psychological level, taking a wider stance is also a healthy way to encourage yourself to be comfortable "taking up more space." People who are typically less sure of themselves or who wish to be unobtrusive and overly considerate bunch themselves up. They hunch over their shoulders or keep their feet close together, afraid to take up more space than necessary.
The very act of being unapologetic when spreading out subliminally hints to our brains that we deserve the space we are taking up. It tells us to feel confident and sure, even if we don't yet believe it ourselves.
So, next time you find yourself fading into the wallpaper, take care to overcompensate by spreading your legs wide, pushing your shoulders back, and keeping your chin up. The superpowers that accompany such a superhero stance just might surprise you.
Vocabulary Words:
1. Regulate - (verb) Control or maintain the rate or speed of (a machine or process) so that it operates properly.
2. Posture - (noun) The characteristic way in which someone holds their body when standing or sitting
3. Overanalyze - (verb) Analyse (something) in too much detail.
4. Underestimate - (verb) Estimate (something) to be smaller or less important than it really is.
5. Impact - (noun) The action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another.
6. Exception - (noun) A person or thing that is excluded from a general statement or does not follow a rule.
7. Perceive - (verb) Become aware or conscious of (something) come to realize or understand.
8. Assume - (verb) Suppose to be the case, without proof.
9. Stance - (noun) The way in which someone stands, especially when deliberately adopted (as in cricket, golf, and other sports) a person’s posture.
10. Unobtrusive - (adj.) Not conspicuous or attracting attention.
11. Subliminal - (adj.) (Of a stimulus or mental process) below the threshold of sensation or consciousness perceived by or affecting someone’s mind without their being aware of it.
Discussion Questions:
1. What is your understanding of self-confidence? Tell me about it.
2. How confident are you?
3. Can confidence play a key role in a person's success? Why?
4. Do you agree that posture contibutes in a person's confidence? Why or why not?
5. What factors can build a person's confidence?
