We all know our body language affects how other people see us.
But simple changes to your posture can also have a dramatic impact on how you feel, think and perform on a daily basis.
Still not convinced?
Here’s one simple body language technique to try tomorrow morning that Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy believes will put a smile on your face for the entire day.
The author of Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenge says simply lie on your back and stretch your arms and legs out as long and wide as you can.
The premise behind the behaviour is simple: The way you start your day affects your mood and your sense of confidence.
“If you sleep in a foetal ball,” says Amy, referring to the approximately 40 percent of people who do, “we have some preliminary evidence that people who wake up like that wake up much more stressed out.”
On the flip side, people who spread their arms and legs out before they get out of bed “are super happy, like annoyingly happy.”
To really bullet-proof you day, Amy also recommends trying her ‘power-pose’ for two minutes.
Simply stand tall, holding your arms out or toward the sky, or standing like Superman with your hands on your hips.
She promises that both will dramatically increase your level of confidence before you step into a situation in which you might feel nervous or insecure.
This story was originally published on The Carousel.
