The Power of Power Poses

In 2012, Amy Cuddy's TED Talk on power poses became one of the most-watched in history. The claim, drawn from a 2010 study she co-authored: standing in an expansive posture for two minutes raises testosterone and lowers cortisol, making you feel more confident.

The original 2010 study found that people who held expansive poses reported feeling more powerful, took more risks in a gambling task, and showed measurable hormone changes. The popular implication was dramatic: posture might reshape emotional state.