TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

363 P. CASAL, QUIAPO, MANILA

SPECIAL TOPICS

SUBMITTED BY:

SUBMITED TO:
ENGR. LORRAINE CARRILLO

NOVEMBER 7, 2015

REFLECTION PAPER
TED TALK
AMY CUDDY: YOUR BODY LANGUAGE SHAPES WHO YOU ARE

Body language is defined as a kind of nonverbal communication, where thoughts,

intentions, or feelings are expressed by physical behaviors, such as facial expressions,
body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. Body language is
not limited only to humans; it also exists in animals. Animals also use body language to
express their feelings.
The talk focuses on the non-verbal expressions of power and dominance.
Specifically, it focuses on the body language humans exhibit when feeling powerful and
when their feeling powerless. Amy Cuddy called the body language of feeling powerful
as high-power pose and low-power pose for the body language of powerless feeling.
One high-power pose is the arms up like a V and the chin is slightly lifted. It is
typically exhibited by someone who won, especially in a physical competition. It was
studied that even blind people do this expression of pride. On the other hand, an
example of low-power pose is head bowed, shoulders slumped, making self as small as
possible. Another is when someone is touching the neck. It expresses that the person
doing that is protecting himself/herself.
Amy Cuddy discussed that people who display high-power pose movements
that are open, spread out, and take more space feel confidence. They feel optimistic
and are more likely to take risk. Scientifically speaking, the poses affects the hormones
the testosterone, which is the dominance hormone, and cortisol, which is the stress
hormone in a humans body.
People with powerful body language produces more testosterone and less
cortisol. They are dominant, and not stress reactive. According to Cuddy, these are the

characteristics of an ideal leader. Conversely, the low-power poses have the exact
opposite reaction; it produces less testosterone and more cortisol. People who adopt
low-power pose are also more hesitant to take a risk, and are negative-thinkers. This
was proven by Cuddy when she and her partners invited people to perform a test.
They asked the people to adopt both the high-power and low-power poses for a
couple of minutes. High-power people experience a 20-percent increase in
testosterone, and low-power people experience 10-percent decrease. In regards to
cortisol, high-power people experience 25-percent decrease, and low-power people
have 10-percent increase.
Cuddy then explained the point of her talk. She wanted people to understand that
power posing for a few minutes can change life in meaningful ways. She wanted us to
apply it in the real world, especially if we are in a social threat situations like a job
interview. She explained that the body language that matters is the one you create prior
a high-stress moments, not the one during it.
Cuddy emphasized the importance of faking it. Fake that you feel powerful, until
you really are powerful. She also mentioned something that I whole-heartedly agree on
a small action can make a big difference.