7 Best Power Poses to Boost Self-Confidence (and How They Work)

Have you heard of power poses for confidence? If you haven’t, it’s good that you are here so you can learn what are power poses, the types of poses you can strike, and how power poses work to boost self-confidence.

Non-verbal behaviors, such as your body language, say a lot about you and can affect how others perceive and treat you. As such, it is important to know which are the best power poses to boost your self-confidence.

These power poses will also make it evident to anyone you interact with that you believe in yourself and trust your abilities. Even if you don’t feel confident, striking these power poses will make you feel like you are and inspire others to have confidence in you too. Fake it till you believe it!

Someone who lacks self-confidence is usually easy to spot due to their body language. For example, they may have a bad posture, be fidgety, be clumsy, avoid eye contact, or be overly apologetic. If you want to prevent your body language from betraying you, knowing the best types of power poses to boost self-confidence is crucial.

If you have been struggling to build your confidence, you have come to the right place! It is time to work on your body language and boost your self-confidence.

This post will give examples of the best power poses for confidence. We shall also discuss the various types of power poses and how they work to boost your self-confidence. But first, what is a power pose? And where can you use power poses in your life? Continue reading to learn more.

Jump to a Section:
* What Are Power Poses?
* Where Can You Use Power Poses?
* Types of Power Poses for Confidence
* Best Power Poses to Boost Self-Confidence

What Are Power Poses?

A power pose is an expansive body posture you adopt that makes you look and feel powerful and more confident. You can adopt a power pose for confidence when standing or sitting and in formal and informal settings.

When you strike any of the power poses discussed below, you try to show confidence by imitating the traits of powerful people, such as assertiveness, optimism, dominance, risk-taking tendencies, good communication skills, and level-headedness, even when stressed.

Power poses have become quite popular in recent years as more research has suggested that your body posture affects how you think and feel about yourself as well as how others see and treat you.

The viral TED Talk by Amy Cuddy, an American social psychologist and author, also highlights the effectiveness of power poses as she gives a speech about how your body language may shape who you are.

ACTING confident by power posing will make you FEEL confident.

Where Can You Use Power Poses?

Making a habit of power posing can help you become more successful in life, both in your professional and personal life.

You can do power poses to boost self-confidence in social situations if you have social anxiety, during job interviews, when asking someone out on a date, while giving a speech, when taking work pictures/headshots, before an audition, during a presentation, and when pitching an idea to someone, among other circumstances.

So, what are the different types of power poses that can boost your self-confidence? Read on…

Types of Power Poses for Confidence

There are two types of power poses that show how confident you are. They are;

Low power poses

These types of poses are closed, and they show a lack of self-confidence. Low power poses indicate that you feel awkward, powerless, and need protection from other people.

Examples of low power poses include sitting in a slumped posture, constantly touching your neck, closing your legs and arms, hunching your shoulders, folding your hands between your legs, and fidgeting.

People with this type of power pose have a tough time trying to achieve success in life.

When you adopt low power poses, you try to guard yourself and make yourself small because you don’t want to call attention to yourself.

Unfortunately, low power posing will make people lack confidence in you and could lead to lost opportunities even if you are good at what you do.

High power poses

Anyone who wants to be successful in life must adopt high power poses. Unlike low power poses, high power poses are open and relaxed, showing that you are confident in yourself and your abilities. But how do power poses work exactly? How does power posing change your behavior and boost self-confidence?

Studies indicate that high power poses have the capacity to change someone’s hormone levels. The results suggest that power posing even for only two minutes could lead to lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and increased testosterone levels (for dominance), which is linked to fearlessness and increased risk tolerance.

Below are examples of the best high power poses you can strike for confidence.

7 Best Power Poses to Boost Self-Confidence

The Wonder Woman power pose

Wonder Woman is one of the most iconic superheroines many people, both women, and men, admire. She is the epitome of power and beauty.

It is, therefore, no surprise that one of the most well-known power poses for confidence is called The Wonder Woman. Luckily, this high power pose is easy to adopt.

To strike the Wonder Woman power pose, stand up straight with your legs slightly open, push your chest out, and place your hands on your hips. Your thumbs should be on your back while the rest of your fingers face forward toward your navel.

Doing it the opposite way, i.e., fingers on your back and thumbs on the front) may give the impression that you are tired and need to support your back.

Another example of a high power pose for confidence inspired by a famous superhero is the Superman posture.

It is similar to the Wonder Woman power pose as it also involves standing with legs shoulder width apart, head held high, chest puffed out, and hands on hips.

Striking the Wonder Woman or Superman power pose for even just two minutes before a stressful event can boost your confidence level significantly. So, make power posing a habit to feel confident and powerful all the time!

The victory power pose

Most animals spread out and try to appear bigger whenever they want to show how powerful they are, from peacocks to wolves, dogs, and cats. Humans are not that much different from these animals when it comes to displaying power and strength.

Have you ever wondered why we often find ourselves raising our hands and spreading them out to celebrate when we win at something?

You have probably seen this in sports when people win races or if someone’s favorite team scores a goal.

Standing or sitting with your arms raised and out is called a victory stance, and you should start doing it more often as it is one of the best power poses to boost self-confidence. After all, who wouldn’t want to feel like a winner?

Your brain already associates this pose with positive emotions, power, and confidence, and so do the brains of the people you interact with.

Striking the victory power pose will not only make you feel confident and powerful, but it will also convince others you are.

The tabletop power pose

When talking to someone who is seated on the other side of your desk or someone who is taller than you, the tabletop power pose can help boost your confidence and communicate your authority.

To strike this pose, you only need to stand and slightly lean forward with the fingers of each hand planted a little over shoulder-width apart on the desk or table in front of you.

In case you are speaking to someone taller than you, the tabletop power pose will make the height difference less obvious while still showing your self-confidence.

The salutation power pose

Many of us have done this power pose without knowing it has incredible benefits on how confident we feel.

The salutation pose is one of the most open high power poses for confidence, and you can do it outdoors anywhere and at any time, though it is best done in the morning to start the day on a positive note.

To strike the salutation power pose, go outside and stand facing the sun, raise your head, stretch your arms on your sides with palms facing upward, puff your chest out, and plant your feet on the ground. Hold this position for about one minute.

As you strike the salutation power pose, you will not only enjoy being in the moment feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, but will also feel energized, liberated, and powerful; things you need in order to feel confident.

The hand steeple power pose

You have probably seen some people in leadership positions hand steepling. Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump are examples of people who make this high power pose.

To strike this hand steeple power pose for confidence, spread your fingers, and place the fingertips of each hand against their counterparts on the opposite one.

It will be as if you are holding an invisible basketball or like you are about to start praying.

You can do the hand steeple power pose when standing or sitting, and it will still display your self-confidence to those you are conversing with.

The crossed arms power pose

Crossing your arms can be perceived both ways. It can be a good high power pose for confidence or, when done wrongly, a low power pose that shows a lack of self-confidence.

Since you want to boost self-confidence, you should learn how to strike the crossed arms power pose correctly.

You have probably seen women and men strike this pose when taking professional headshots. They do it not to appear defensive, closed-off, or unapproachable, but to show they are confident.

Crossing your arms also squares your shoulders, shows off your manicure, and gives you something to do with your arms instead of letting them hang limply on your sides.

The best way to show confidence and not defensiveness with crossed arms is to keep the hands open and relaxed, not clenched into fists or with hunched shoulders.

Research suggests that crossing your arms before a difficult task can help you stay focused while doing it. As such, somebody striking a pose with their arms crossed, combined with other positive non-verbal behaviors, such as a smile, could be trying to convey power, confidence, and perseverance.

Sitting power poses

When given a seat, how do you occupy it? Do you sit on the edge or with your legs closed? Do you keep fidgeting? The pose you strike while seated can communicate your level of confidence.

Since you want to know the best high power poses to boost your self-confidence, you must start taking up physical space even while sitting. It will be a good way to command power, show dominance, exude confidence, and inspire respect from those you are interacting with.

Note that by taking up space physically, we do not mean manspreading as this sitting position is rude to those seated next to you.

Some high power poses to strike when sitting to take up more space and show confidence include;

Sit with your spine straight and shoulders open
Instead of leaning in when conducting an interview, lean out to show you are in charge of the situation
If crossing your legs, recline, and stretch your arms over the back of the seat
Sit back with your feet on the desk or table and clasp your hands behind your head
Cross your ankle over your knee, sit with your back straight, with your arms on the armrests and fingers interlocked

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are many benefits of power posing, including becoming more confident, having better chances of success, and gaining the respect and confidence of others. As such, you should try out the above high power poses to boost self-confidence. Get rid of the low power poses that sabotage your chances of success.

Power posing works effectively when you need to boost your self-confidence or inspire confidence and respect from others. You shouldn’t let your body language hold you back from achieving your dreams and living a fulfilling, happy life.

Use the above power poses to trick your mind into believing you are confident and change how people perceive you. Fake it till you become it!

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Read more articles from Aisles of Life here.

What Are Power Poses?

Where Can You Use Power Poses?

Types of Power Poses for Confidence

7 Best Power Poses to Boost Self-Confidence

Final Thoughts

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