The postures you adopt change the levels of hormones you release, which can make you psychologically stronger and more daring.

These are the results of a study recently presented by Harvard students.

This study informs us that if we contract our bodies, or cross our arms, we appear weaker. This is one of the first times that this theme has been addressed by a scientific study.

Body postures affect our physiology, not just for the image we refer to ourselves, but also for the image we give to others.

The journal Psychological Science was commissioned to publish this survey. To arrive at their conclusions, the scientists analyzed 42 people, who had to maintain particular postures for two minutes in a row.

Half of the volunteers had to sit for 60 seconds in a chair with their body stretched out, their feet on the desk and their hands on the back of their necks.

Then they were to spend the next minute with their hands resting on a table, and their bodies tilted slightly forward.

The other group was to spend the first minute with their arms crossed, and the next minute with their arms and legs crossed, putting pressure on the floor.

The scientists then recorded the saliva of the 42 guinea pigs, to be able to measure their hormonal levels.

They were able to prove that, in the first group, testosterone had increased by 19%, and that the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) had been greatly reduced.

For the second group, the effect was totally the opposite. Also, be aware that cortisol can cause memory problems, as well as immune system failures.

The investigation continued with a psychological analysis of each person who had participated in the experiment.

People in the first group said they felt more energetic, stronger, and more risk-taking.

For the second group, the opposite happened. It is therefore obvious that the posture changes the condition of the people who adopt them in less than two minutes.

The three postures that increase productivity

They are called “power stances”, and they help increase your self-confidence. Take note of this if you want to increase your efficiency at work, or in your studies.

Sometimes, despite all the qualities that you may have, you don’t have the energy to conduct a negotiation or to carry out all the professional tasks that are incumbent on you well, and you don’t know how to get that little boost for the better. work.

A  cognitive psychologist,  called Sian Beilock, claims that posture affects the way we think, and that through physical movement we impact our productivity. This theory is very popular, and is called “bodily cognition”.

It is simply what our brain observes. Your face and body say a lot more about you than you might think.

Whether you are bored or motivated, your facial expression and body posture will not be the same. So your mind can easily find out what is happening to you every day.

The easiest way to command the brain to be more productive at times, according to psychologist Dana Carney, is to send signals to it with the body.

These are the famous “power postures”, which will help you increase your levels of testosterone, this hormone that gives us more confidence in our chances of success.

If you adopt a winning posture, you will triumph. The energy that will flow from your body, will go directly to your brain, and will allow it to give correct directions to be really effective.

You will get this effect if you are talking on the phone, or writing on the computer, or if you are standing in the middle of a management meeting.

The three postures that increase your productivity are:

1-  Put your hands behind your head  (at the height of the neck) with your elbows positioned outwards. This will allow you to have a straight back, and to open your chest. The ideas will therefore spread better throughout your body.

When you are thinking about how to solve a problem, adopt this posture. Do the same if you need to be imaginative or creative, or if you are looking for strategies to increase your sales, etc.

2- Rest one of your arms outside your chair, and put it in a place that is not initially suitable for you (it could be a table for example).
It will make you feel empowered because your body is going to take up more space than it should.

This posture can be adopted when receiving an important call, when you are in a meeting with important clients, or when you are in the process of signing a hefty contract.

3- Extend your legs, or put them on your desk. If you spend all day in front of your PC, you can’t really move your lower limbs. And your mind can sense this numbness.

Extending your legs is scientifically proven to be vital to being productive.

So try stretching them several times a day, when replying to an email for example.

Photo by Pavel L Photo and Video