Reflection Paper on Power Posing as Explained by Amy Cuddy (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date Reflection Paper on Power Posing as Explained by Amy Cuddy In her TED Talk presentation in 2012, Amy Cuddy explains the concept of power posing. She explains that it influences the feeling of dominance, confidence, and assertiveness. Several studies have been conducted to replicate her research findings. Power posing impacts personal experiences and behavioral outcomes when applied in evaluative situations despite the controversies on its hormonal effects. The main point that Cuddy makes is that power posing or body language influences the feeling of power. Pretending to be powerful or holding expansive power poses makes one feel more powerful (Cuddy 00:07:42-00:07:50). It makes individuals feel more confident and evaluate themselves positively. As a result, power posing influences the behaviors of individuals. I can relate the video to my personal experiences. Based on the results of the experiment conducted, Cuddy found that high-power posers are more likely to be evaluated positively during job interviews (Cudd 00:14:47-00:14:55). Through personal experience, I have found that pretending to be confident or powerful during job interviews, public speaking, and classroom presentations leads to better outcomes. Hence, the concept can positively impact people in different ways. Power posing is important in helping people feel more confident and powerful. It helps people feel more relaxed, confident, and dominant (Chatterjee 130). Holding high power poses leads to an increase in testosterone hormone levels which increases the feeling of power. It also leads to a decrease in the stress hormone, cortisol. Power posing is thus important during evaluative social situations. Power posing can be applied in different evaluative situations and during psychotherapy. First, it can be applied in social threat situations, for instance, when giving public speeches and during job interviews (Cuddy 00:12:48-00:13:08). Individuals are more likely to be positively evaluated if they hold high power poses. Second, power posing can be applied during therapeutic treatment involving cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (“Standing Tall and Standing Wide” par.6). It helps individuals develop positive self-perceptions, and thus, can be combined with CBT techniques. Hence, power posing can positively impact the lives of individuals despite controversies in research findings on its hormonal effects. The thing that surprised me is that holding power poses for two minutes led to notable hormonal changes. In the experiment conducted by Cuddy and her team, high power poses led to a 20% increase in testosterone hormone levels and a 25% decrease in cortisol hormone levels (Cuddy 00:11:37-00:12:07). Surprisingly, these hormonal changes happened after holding power poses for only two minutes before a job interview. It is even more startling that some researchers have been unable to replicate the changes in cortisol and testosterone hormone levels (Metzler and Grèzes 3). The relationship between power posing and hormonal changes is complex and difficult to un...