Are you a superhero? The answer is probably no, but consider for a moment what makes a hero so super. Is it their good looks? What about their fancy costume? No, it’s neither of those things. It’s their confidence! What if you could exude the confidence of a superhero? You can! It’s easy, and there’s research to back it up!

Have you ever heard of a power pose? It’s where you stand tall, put your hands on your hips, spread your feet shoulder-width apart, elevate your chin and look off into the distance. Don’t hold your breath; it’s important to keep breathing! Try it! This is what can be called a power pose or a superhero stance.

What’s so fantastic about this pose? Researchers Dana Carney and Andy Yap of Columbia University and Amy Cuddy from Harvard University decided to find out just how powerful the power pose really is. Their research was focused on finding out whether powerful postures influenced how powerful people actually feel. Their findings, according to Psychology Today, found that those who held the power position for two minutes or more had greater feelings of power and confidence with higher levels of the dominance hormone and lower levels of the stress hormone.

In an article in the Harvard Busines Review written by Cuddy, she explains power poses increase people’s tolerance for risk and pain, and their ability to think abstractly. She continues to explain power posing isn’t about what your body language is communicating to others. It’s about what your body language is communicating to you: your body language is changing your mind, which changes your behavior, which changes your outcomes.

What else was found? Psychology Today continued in their report that there are some implications to the power pose, which include the following.

• The researchers suggest power posing will give you a sense of confidence, and surges of testosterone and lowered cortisol (i.e., less stress), before going into a job interview or important meeting where one wants to feel and display power and confidence.
• For leaders, power posing can convey dominance and powerful sense of self-confidence, but the researchers caution that it is also important to simultaneously display nonverbal cues of warmth, particularly for women leaders.
• Finally, attention to body language is important in many social situations in order to better understand how posture and other nonverbal cues can influence the impressions you make on others, and your own sense of confidence and power.

Go ahead and try that power pose! You might find out that you do feel more confident and more powerful!