The Body Language Expert: 4 Body Language Tricks That Will Make Them Love You And Respect You! - Doctor Amy Cuddy
Aug 31, 2023
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Steven interviews Amy Cuddy, a body language expert and bestselling author, on topics such as overcoming biases, using body language to feel more confident and attractive, the impact of breathing on confidence, strategies for being more confident, and the significance of trust in business.
Body language plays a significant role in how we feel and how others perceive us, with posture changes having a positive impact on mental health and reducing symptoms of depression.
By adopting empowering body language, such as power poses and expansive movements, individuals can change their mindset and feel more confident, leading to a shift in mentality that enables us to approach challenges as opportunities and see others as allies rather than competitors.
Confident and warm body language, characterized by openness and expansiveness, is more attractive and signals confidence, authenticity, and interest, allowing us to improve our attractiveness and create positive connections with others.
Deep dives
The Power of Body Language
Body language plays a significant role in how we feel and how others perceive us. Posture changes can reduce symptoms of depression and have a positive impact on mental health. 50% of our first impression is based on body language, making it important to carry ourselves with confidence. Our body language not only communicates with others but also influences our own feelings and sense of safety. Changing our posture can positively impact our mindset, creativity, trust, and willingness to take action.
The Imposter Experience
Many people experience the imposter syndrome, feeling like they don't belong and doubting their abilities. It's important to recognize that this is a common experience and not a pathological condition. By adopting empowering body language, such as power poses and expansive movements, individuals can change their mindset and feel more confident. Expanding body language leads to a shift in mentality, enabling us to approach challenges as opportunities and see others as allies rather than competitors. The feeling of power influences not only our own actions but also our willingness to help others.
The Relationship Between Body Language and Attractiveness
Research suggests that confident and warm body language, rather than dominant body language, is more attractive in dating and work settings. Open and expansive body language is seen as more attractive, signaling confidence, authenticity, and interest. By paying attention to our body language and practicing open and confident postures, we can improve our attractiveness and create positive connections with others.
Practical Steps to Improve Body Language
Improving body language begins with self-awareness and making small changes over time. This can include stretching out upon waking up, taking longer strides, swinging arms more, speaking more slowly, and practicing deep breathing. By focusing on one change at a time, such as breathing or posture, we can gradually improve our body language. Additionally, being mindful of how we carry ourselves in social interactions and creating open, warm, and confident body language can have a significant impact on how we feel and how others perceive us.
Changing Self-Story and the Importance of Authenticity
The podcast episode explores the idea that changing one's self-story and having an authentic opinion of oneself is crucial for personal transformation. The speaker shares their own experience of feeling rejected and low in value during their youth. They tried applying pick-up artist techniques without success, realizing that true change came from within. They emphasize that faking confidence or relying on tricks is not enough to attract others or succeed. The profound transformation happened when their self-perception and self-story changed, leading to a shift in how they showed up in different contexts.
Bullying, Loss of Self-Story, and the Courage to Stand Up
Another important topic discussed in the podcast is the experience of bullying and its deep impact. The speaker shares their personal experience of being bullied in academia, which led to the loss of their self-story and a distorted narrative about their life. They highlight the devastating effects of bullying, including emotional, professional, and familial damage, even leading to thoughts of suicide. The speaker emphasizes the need for community support and the importance of bystanders in early intervention to prevent bullying from escalating. They stress the significance of changing the narrative around bullying and creating cultural acceptance to bring about a positive change in workplaces and society as a whole.
Can changing the way you stand transform your life?
In this new episode Steven sits down with the body language expert, social psychologist, and bestselling author, Dr. Amy Cuddy.
For over 20 years, Dr. Cuddy has focused on researching stereotyping, nonverbal behaviour, and presence and performance under stress. Her TED Talk, ‘Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are’ has been viewed over 23 million times, and her book, ‘Presence’ is a New York Times bestseller.
In this conversation Amy and Steven discuss topics, such as:
How all humans have prejudices
Why prejudice is not necessarily always negative
The cognitive shortcuts of biases
The way to overcome your biases
How to change the way you feel with body language
Why she started studying body language
The importance of body language
How your body is giving off more signs than you think
Popular myths about body language
Using body language to become more attractive
How breathing can impact confidence
Why imposter syndrome should be called imposter experience
How changing your posture affects how you feel
The signs that you have bad body language
The way you sleep can be the cause anxiety
Using mind-body feedback to improve how you feel
How to beat stage fright
Strategies for being more confident in any situation
How to make people feel more comfortable around you
Why eye contact isn’t as important as you think
You can purchase Amy’s book, ‘Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges’, here: https://amzn.to/45wrSBn