Power posing

[janestarz]

It's been a bit quiet up here so I figured I'd share an interesting video I watched on YouTube yesterday. After reading about a TED talk in the Cosmo at the hairdresser's, I went to YouTube to listen to some TED talks. It had been a while, and they're interesting.

I came across Amy Cuddy's TED talk: "Your body language shapes who you are".
She describes some pretty interesting things that happen in our brain when we adjust our body. Holding a certain pose for a period of time as short as two minutes (!) can already have a measurable effect on testosterone and cortisol levels.

No wonder I feel like crap after I've been sitting hunched over a keyboard for hours on end. There's actual science to back me up! Being hunched over in a protective pose (hugging yourself, holding your neck) or adopting a powerful pose (think Wonder Woman or taking up all the extra space you really don't need by flinging an arm out across three chairs) will have a measurable effect but it can also change your day.

Knowing this, I was dancing about in my kitchen while making breakfast, taking up huge amounts of space and shaking my booty because I was cheerful. I flung my arm out over the couch (carefully, not to hit the cat) and stretched my chest. It felt like there was so much more air to breathe. The cheerful feeling lasted all day, and not even Willemijn being all grumpy and PMS'y could bring me down. I reached out to the kitchen ceiling at work while waiting for the water to boil and it felt great all day.

So VOGUE! Strike a pose! It's worth giving a try.

Comments

[anemoona.livejournal.com]

Hey, that's interesting! I'll give it a try.

[querca-robur.livejournal.com]

If you think that's fun, you might also be interested in this one:

http://youtu.be/qTKEBygQic0

A little less relevant, but builds on the same concept of mental imaging.

[steelweaver.livejournal.com]

Tall people, especially tall women, have a lot of extra accumulated issues about taking up space. As if it's unladylike and impolite to be the size you are. Still, you are what you are and scrunching yourself up will not magically shrink you, looks like it just serves to make you unhappy. So go you :)