If you have a big meeting or job interview coming up, sit back and read a newspaper instead of checking out your smartphone or laptop. The change in posture alone can help you be more confident in your interaction, Forbes says.
There’s plenty of research to suggest that your posture has a lot to do with your mindset. When you have an expansive posture and take up more space — such as standing with a broad stance and your hands on your hips — the body produces more testosterone and lowers cortisol, the hormone that dictates stress levels. So just by altering your posture, you feel more positive and powerful. The opposite is also true. If you sit hunched over and tuck your chin in, you will feel weaker and less confident. Carol Kinsey Goman extrapolates this information to the office setting:
Now picture yourself in the reception area where you are waiting for that important meeting. Are you bent over your smartphone, with your elbows pulled into your waist and your shoulders hunched? Or are you sitting up straight, feet firmly on the floor, arms spread wide holding an open newspaper? And when you are called into the meeting, which of those two hormones is dominating your body chemistry?
The full post has other sensible tips for better body language that you should check out.
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