Wonder Woman Pose - 30 Day Challenge

Ever notice Wonder Woman’s confidence? How she conveys her sense of power? How you know her strength is about more than just her muscles? That she completely trusts that she can handle whatever comes at her?

Take a look at this picture of Wonder Woman. Notice what her body posture tells you about her self-confidence. She is not a woman who waffles in self-doubt, or who let’s the opinions and judgments of others undermine what she knows is her truth. Even standing still, her pose alone communicates that this is not a woman you want to mess with!

Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist at Harvard, gave a TEDTalk about the power of Wonder Woman's pose, which you can find here. Her research has found that assuming the Wonder Woman Pose for as little as 2 minutes can alter brain chemistry by increasing testosterone and lowering cortisol.

Embodying the Wonder Woman Pose can create a positive self-fulfilling prophecy by changing your attitude, which in turn impacts your behavior, resulting in a more positive impression on others. The end result can be improved performance that then serves to reinforce your own feelings of competence.

Cuddy’s research suggests that not only does making your body expansive improve your confidence, but making yourself small by folding inward – sunken chest, lowered chin and shoulders, or arms closed – can reinforce a sense of inadequacy. The take away from Cuddy’s research is “Don’t fake it till you make it. Fake it till you become it.”

Empowerment Exercise: Take the Wonder Woman challenge and assume the pose. Stand in front of a mirror with legs spread hip length apart, weight evenly distributed so that you feel solid in the hips and lower body. Expand your chest and plant your fisted palms on your hips. Lengthen your neck and tilt your chin slightly upward. Breath deeply and evenly as you observe yourself in this power pose for 2 minutes. As you observe the changes on the outside, notice what shifts begin to happen on the inside. Do this exercise for 30 days. Afterward, notice the difference in how you feel. If it makes a difference, as I think it will, put it in your empowerment toolbox to take out and use whenever needed.

Source: Most of this text directly copied (including the Empowerment Exercise) from a blog post by Dr. Janice Caudill