Body Language: Fool You Fool Me (Revised)

The Benefits and Consequences of Increasing Confidence 

Amy Cuddy gives a presentation discussing her research on body language and how it not only changes how people look at you but how you look at yourself.  Through examples from the animal kingdom, politics, and her research, she shows how “power posing” can increase confidence.  She argues that we are able to alter the conception of ourselves, that we can “fake it until we make it”. 

However, what are the consequences of falsely presenting ourselves in situations such as lectures, debates, and job interviews.  Is it morally wrong?   This video presents a tool that can be useful for all types of people however, is it wrong to falsely identify ourselves or are we evolving into someone better fit for the society in which we live in?

Amy begins her presentation by showing examples of animals ‘power posing’.  Power posing refers to presenting yourself in a position of confidence, a person with their arms spread, an animal spreading their wings, etc.  She shows how this is done by most species and is an effective way to show dominance.  The opposite is done as well; people who lack confidence commonly cross their arms or slouch, which makes them look smaller and weaker.  Having noticed this, Amy performed research to see if there are hormonal changes in a person when in a ‘power pose’ compared to a smaller pose. 

What she found is that those in confident poses had increased testosterone levels as well as decreased cortisol levels, cortisol relates to how one deals with stress.  Those in smaller poses showed decreased levels of testosterone while corisol levels increased.  These results demonstrate that a person’s pose has almost immediate influence on their internal chemistry and can effect how people feel about themselves.  Amy argues that by consciously putting yourself in a ‘power pose’ you can change your level of self-confidence and essentially ‘fake it until you make it’.

Although Amy does not discuss it, I’ve found that ‘power posing’ has evolved with humans as technology continues to develop.  Emails, blogs, and articles have given people the opportunity to voice opinions that many would not do face to face.  An example I witnessed was during the Pisces game performed in class.  Discussion between the ASU class and RIT class was left strictly to an online forum.  When a situation got heated, RIT students posted comments saying things such as “Yes I sarcastically called you a “class act” because unlike you I am neither arrogant, pompous, nor condescending” as well as “you acted like a group of spoiled children”. 

The ability to hide behind a screen and write with confidence that one may not have in a face-to-face situation has allowed for people to act in more aggressive ways then they would usually feel comfortable doing.  Although it can be done in counterproductive ways that attack others as what was done in the Pisces game, this can also be used in a way that helps softer voices reach an equal volume. 

Throughout the video Amy gives examples showing how power posing can help many people reach goals and conquer fears.  I admit I am one of many that would benefit from power posing but as I reflected on Amy’s findings I began wondering what were potential negative consequences of ‘faking’ who you are to get a job or gain entry to high level schooling.  I tried to imagine what if an engineer used these tools and found themselves in a position that they could not handle, could they end up killing innocent people.  Some say “Engineers save more lives then doctors” but doesn’t that means they could potentially injure or kill many people if unqualified. 

Looking throughout history there are many examples of failures that have resulted in the death or injury of many citizens.  One example of an engineering failure that resulted from a lack of knowledge is the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse.  Although the only casualty was a dog named Tobby, this suspension bridge failed and could have caused a significant lose of life and did cause a large loss of materials.  This bridge failed because the aerodynamic stability of the bridge was not accurately accounted for.  This may have resulted from a lack of knowledge of the engineers that were not qualified to design a bridge to this scale.

Another example that I think of is the countless car recalls that have occurred over the last several decades.  Recalls such as unintended acceleration in Toyota’s and the explosive Ford Pinto.  These vehicles were not properly designed and caused dangerous and sometimes fatal disasters.

Were these accidents partially to blame because of those working on these projects were not equipped with the knowledge to build them.  Power posing can be an effective tool for branching out of ones comfort zone but this tool can also put one in a position that can threaten lives.  More accidents such as these can occur if people ‘fake’ their way into positions they cannot handle. 

Amy attempts to drive home the positive outcomes of power posing when she discusses her own experience as well as those of her students that struggled with imposter syndrome.  Imposter syndrome is when despite a persons accomplishments they still feel like a fraud and that their success is a result of luck, good timing, and effective deception of a superior.    Amy finds that this is common throughout the Ivy League schools and discusses a specific example of one of her student struggling until receiving her advice to fake it.   This student then ended up surprising herself along with the rest of the class with excellent participation. This example of overcoming the imposter syndrome shows the small yet significant personal benefits that can come from power posing. 

This video has made me ask the question is it morally wrong to ‘fake it until you make it’.  There are a lot of benefits from presenting yourself in a more powerful way.  It builds self-confidence and improves self-esteem.  It can help people break out of their shells that have kept them from achieving goals.  Personal issues such as dealing with imposter syndrome can be overcome with power posing.  However, using this tool must be done with caution.  It is important to use the guilt associated with this syndrome as a means of measuring one capability.  Without checks such as this, power posing many allow for people to rise to levels that they are unable to handle, leading to potentially disastrous outcomes. 

I believe Amy has made very interesting findings that show how tools such as power posing have the ability to affect our perception of ourselves.  I have already found myself using power positions when in situations that I am uncomfortable.  I think this tool can help many build the confidence they need to be successful in a world that requires social interaction.  However, it is important to continue to monitor oneself when using this tool to ensure a person does not end up in a situation they can’t handle.

She concludes by offering the suggestion to take this tool and not only ‘fake it until you make it’ but to ‘fake it until you become it’.  I think this is a great tool that can help many improve self-confidence and increase the chance of success in many different opportunities.  However, it must be done appropriately and in a way that you’re not fooling others but instead coming to a personal realization that you can achieve more then you ever thought.

Body Language: Fool you Fool Me

Amy Cuddy gives a presentation discussing her research on body language and how it not only changes how people look at you but how you look at yourself.  Through examples from the animal kingdom, politics, and her research, she shows how “power posing” can increase confidence.  She argues that we are able to alter the conception of ourselves, that we can “fake it until we make it”.  However, what are the consequences of falsely presenting ourselves in situations such as lectures, debates, and job interviews.  Is it morally wrong?  Who is held responsible if a person is placed in a position that they cannot handle, the one ‘faking it’ or the one that did not identify the ‘faker’?

Amy begins her presentation by showing examples of animals ‘power posing’.  Power posing refers to presenting yourself in a position of confidence, a person with their arms spread, an animal spreading their wings, etc.  She shows how this is done by most species and is an effective way to show dominance.  The opposite is done as well; people who lack confidence commonly cross their arms or slouch, which makes them look smaller and weaker.  Having noticed this, Amy performed research to see if there are hormonal changes in a person when in a ‘power pose’ compared to a smaller pose.  What she found is that those in confident poses had increased testosterone levels as well as decreased cortisol levels, cortisol relates to how one deals with stress.  Those in smaller poses showed decreased levels of testosterone while corisol levels increased.  These results show that a person’s pose has almost immediate influence on their internal chemistry and can effect how people feel about themselves.  Amy argues that by consciously putting yourself in a ‘power pose’ you can change your level of self-confidence and ‘fake it until you make it’. 

Although Amy does not discuss it, a new trend in ‘power posing’ has evolved from the increased levels of technology.  Emails, blogs, and articles have given people the opportunity to voice opinions that many would not do face to face.  An example I witnessed was during the Pisces game performed in class.  Discussion between the ASU class and RIT class was left strictly to an online forum.  When a situation got heated, RIT students posted comments saying things such as “Yes I sarcastically called you a “class act” because unlike you I am neither arrogant, pompous, nor condescending” as well as “you acted like a group of spoiled children”.  I believe language like this would not have been used had the two sides discussed the situation face to face.  Instead, since they were able to hide behind the Internet, RIT students presented themselves in a more threatening manor then they actually act in attempt to obtain a better outcome for themselves.  Technology has given us another means of ‘power posing’, this makes it even more difficult to decide if people are being themselves or are pretending to be someone they are not. 

I believe that this tool of ‘power posing’ is something that many should take advantage of and it could quite possibly improve a person’s chance of success.  However, falsely presenting yourself can lead to negative consequences.  Although this technique can be argued that it means no harm, it can still be viewed as lying.  Falsely identifying oneself could put a person into a situation that they cannot handle.  What if an engineer or a doctor ‘faked it’ through interviews and found themselves in a job they could not complete.  They could potentially create life-threatening situations for many people.  How will a person react when truly tested if they used different tools to boost their self-confidence but were not actually a person that can handle the pressure?  Perhaps it is morally wrong for people to present themselves in a false manor but who is responsible for any potential damages that come from this person.  Should the liar be responsible since they placed themselves in a position they could not confidently handle?  Or should the interviewer, voter, or audience who is analyzing the person be responsible for not identifying a person that is ‘faking’ their confidence.  I believe both parties should be held somewhat responsible for any negative consequences.  The person lying should not place themselves in a situation they cannot handle but the other side must also not allow themselves to be fooled by false confidence and should take time to fully know a person before giving them to a position of power.

This video has made me ask the question is it morally wrong to ‘fake it until you make it’.  There are a lot of benefits from presenting yourself in a more powerful way.  It builds self-confidence and improves self-esteem.  It can help people break out of their shells that have kept them from achieving goals.  However, there are dangers with presenting yourself in a way that is different from what they can handle.  I believe that this tool is one that can benefit many people including myself but it must be done in reasonable steps.  Slowly building up your confidence and testing it will help a person make improvements.  Amy discusses this at the end of her presentation.   She concludes by offering the suggestion to take this tool and not only ‘fake it until you make it’ but to ‘fake it until you become it’.  I think this is a great tool that can help many improve self-confidence and increase the chance of success in many different opportunities.  However, it must be done appropriately and in a way that you’re not fooling others but instead coming to a personal realization that you can achieve more then you ever thought.