Power Trip
How Power Poses Took Over the World
Psychologists continue to grapple over whether standing like Superman changes the mind—and the body
Every year, people at hundreds of schools and workplaces around the world are taught how to stand like Superman. The rationale behind this is that the way one holds one’s body has an impact on how they feel and the thoughts they have—or so some experts insist. It’s part of the training provided by a London-based firm called Laughology, which provides workshops and consulting in schools and businesses with the goal of boosting confidence, resilience, and coping skills.
“The way you stand has an impact on the way you think and therefore you can help yourself to feel better,” says Stephanie Davies, CEO of Laughology. Schools that adopt Laughology’s happy-centered schools program report higher SAT scores and lower pre-exam stress levels among students, says Davies, who is a qualified cognitive behavioral therapy consultant.
Power posing was popularized in a 2012 TED Talk by Harvard University social psychologist Amy Cuddy. The video remains the second most-watched TED Talk of all time, with almost 50 million views to date. Nowadays, everyone, from politicians to speakers at public events, is using power posing.
