Posing for presence

Let your body tell you you’re powerful and deserving, 

and you become more present, enthusiastic, and authentically yourself.”

– Amy Cuddy

I recently watched this TED talk – 2nd in a list of 20 most popular TED talks – where social psychologist and Harvard Business School prof Amy Cuddy describes research that point to these assertions:

* non-verbals (aka body language) govern how we feel about ourselves,
* our bodies shape/change our minds,
* behavior can change our outcomes, and
* tiny tweaks can make a big difference.

“Be happy NOW. This moment is all you’ve got.” 

― Elizabeth Grace Saunders

The research

Cuddy referred to this 2010 research report published in Psychological Science, with Dana R. Carny and Andy J. Yap, that compared participants who spent two minutes in a room alone dong high-power poses (expansive with open limbs, such as feet on the desk with fingers lace behind the head) with participants that did low-power poses (contracted with closed limbs, such as arms crossed across body; see article for pictures).

Some results

high-power poses caused an increase in testosterone by about 20% compared with low-power poses
high-power poses caused a decrease in cortisol by about 25% compared with low-power poses
high-power posers were more likely than low-power posers to focus on rewards
high-power posers reported feeling significantly more “powerful” and “in charge”

Fascinating as all this is, along with other research demonstrating that body movement affects our emotions and actions (if interested, see the * at end of this message), what most interests me is the connection of power with being present.


“Ultimately, Cuddy's research suggests that when people feel personally powerful, they become more present: better connected with their own thoughts and feelings, which helps them to better connect with the thoughts and feelings of others. Presence -- characterized by enthusiasm, confidence, engagement, and the ability to connect with and even captivate an audience -- boosts people's performance in a wide range of domains.”  -quote from Cuddy’s Faculty Profile page


So maybe we give this a try? (Likely I will be doing my power pose in a private location!) Maybe pose (picture wonder woman, or wonder man J) to be more fully present to our best self, our truest self?

One last phrase as a take-away: not long ago I heard Fr. Greg Boyle talk on an OnBeing podcast and he mentioned a phrase that I also want to live into -- Now. Here. This.

May we enjoy the now, the here, the this.

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” 

― Amit Ray, Om Chanting and Meditation

May we enjoy breath, and enjoy the beauty of people and of nature. May the spring unfolding be a metaphor for our own unfolding. May we be powerful and present this month and each month.

“The divine is in the present and you must be present to experience it. When you vacate the present and recede into your mind, allowing worries or work to remove you from the moment, you leave the plain upon which the divine dwells. ― L.M. Browning, Seasons of Contemplation: A Book of Midnight Meditations

"Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen…” – Acts 10:33

* Words from the 2010 research report on body effecting emotions, thoughts, and behavior --

“In research on embodied cognition, some evidence suggests that bodily movements, such as facial displays, can affect emotional states. For example, unobtrusive contraction of the “smile muscle” (i.e., the zygomaticus major) increases enjoyment (Strack, Martin, Stepper, 1988), the head tilting upward induces pride (Stepper & Strack, 1993), and hunched postures (as opposed to upright postures) elicit more depressed feelings (Riskind & Gotay, 1982). Approach-oriented behaviors, such as touching, pulling, or nodding “yes,” increase preference for objects, people, and persuasive messages (e.g., Briñol & Petty, 2003; Chen & Bargh, 1999; Wegner, Lane, & Dimitri, 1994), and fist clenching increases men’s self-ratings on power-related traits (Schubert & Koole, 2009).”