Two recent meta-analyses provide evidence of a statistical difference between expansive and contracted poses for self-reported feelings and overt behavioral outcomes, but not for hormones, after correcting for publication bias (n = 96 reports , n = 48 reports [27, but see 28]). The most reliable available evidence to date, from large pre-registered studies and registered reports, suggests that the power pose effect on self-reported feelings of power is real, but small (n = 1002 participants , n = 1071 participants ). Still, it seems likely that the effect arises partly from demand effects [15, 30, 31], and that publication bias remains an issue in the field [15, 32].

Two recent meta‐analyses have synthesized the existing evidence on differences between expansive and contractive displays and found significant differences across studies on self‐reported and behavioral outcomes but no significant differences across studies on hormones and physiological outcomes (Elkjær et al. 2022a; Körner et al. 2022). However, Körner et al. (2022) concluded that the effects on behavioral outcomes were not robust. The results showed no effect of body displays on behavior (d = 0.06) nor affect (ds = 0.02–0.06).

Large analyses seemed to be indicating that while original neuroendocrinal and behavioural claims could not be supported, some promise still remained in the subjective domain… with power posing capable of facilitating significant and potentially beneficial feelings of power in individuals.

Striking a powerful pose makes people feel more confident—and maybe even behave more confidently—according to research in Psychological Bulletin. In a meta-analytic review, researchers analyzed data about the impact of body position on self-confidence, behavior in various tasks, and physiology from 88 studies with 9,779 participants. They found that compared with low-power poses (e.g., slumped posture), high-power poses (e.g., standing upright with arms raised) were linked to more positive reports of self-confidence.

A new meta-analysis from the Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences at Aarhus BSS reveals important deficiencies in previous studies that suggest that by power posing for two minutes, you can manipulate yourself into becoming more assertive and thus improve your performance at job interviews. “The result is a meta-analysis in which we show that it is most likely not the power poses that help people gain self-confidence. In fact, there appears to be no difference between a neutral posture or a power pose.”

To summarise a complex debate, the evidence seems to be stronger that power posing can help you feel more confident, but largely lacking when it comes to effects on physiology or behaviours, such as taking more risks. Just to complicate matters further, a comprehensive review from 2020 suggested the effects on confidence are actually more likely due to avoiding constrictive postures rather than adopting expansive ones.

Striking a power pose before an important meeting or interview is not going to boost your confidence or make you feel more powerful, says an Iowa State University researcher. Marcus Credé, an associate professor of psychology at Iowa State, says there is not a single study to support the claims that power posing works. Nearly all of the studies he reviewed were poorly designed and failed to compare power poses to normal poses.

Apicella and Smith attempted to replicate the original power pose study by Dana Carney, Amy Cuddy and Andy Yap... The Penn researchers found no support for any of the original effects, what's called embodied cognition, results they published recently in Hormones and Behavior. The current findings are not the only to suggest that the effects of power posing are not real, adding to the evidence that has accumulated since the 2010 study.

Cesario's research and the findings from the journal he co-edits do find that holding power poses makes people feel more powerful, but that's where the effect ends. “Feeling powerful may feel good, but on its own does not translate into powerful or effective behaviors,” Cesario said. “These new studies, with more total participants than nearly every other study on the topic, show – unequivocally – that power poses have no effects on any behavioral or cognitive measure.”

Power poses don't help boost confidence after all, Penn research shows. When a 2010 study touted that making a power pose—like a Wonder Woman ...

Holding one's body in "high-power" poses for short time periods can summon an extra surge of power and sense of well-being when it's needed. The result? In addition to causing the desired hormonal shift, the power poses led to increased feelings of power and a greater tolerance for risk.

Initial studies on power posing indicated that engaging in expansive body positions will raise testosterone levels, lower cortisol levels, and increase risk ...

A two-minute power pose can help boost your performance, whether it is to excel in a job interview, nail a presentation or get leverage in critical negotiations, according to Harvard professor and social psychologist Amy Cuddy. Her research shows that our body language not only affects how others see us, but how we see ourselves. By holding our bodies in a position of power, our hormones react immediately — our testosterone goes up and our cortisol goes down — resulting in calm confidence that we feel and others experience.

Researchers Dana Carney and Andy Yap of Columbia University and Amy Cuddy from Harvard University decided to find out just how powerful the power pose really is. Their findings, according to Psychology Today, found that those who held the power position for two minutes or more had greater feelings of power and confidence with higher levels of the dominance hormone and lower levels of the stress hormone. In an article in the Harvard Business Review written by Cuddy, she explains power poses increase people's tolerance for risk and pain, and their ability to think abstractly.

Amy Cuddy's 2010 study with Carney and Yap claimed power posing increased testosterone, decreased cortisol, boosted feelings of power, and risk-taking. Dana Carney publicly disavowed the hormonal findings in 2016 due to failed replications. Multiple meta-analyses (e.g., 2020 by Landes et al.) found small effects on self-reported confidence but no reliable hormonal or behavioral changes leading to success.

By standing in a power pose for just a few minutes, we can potentially boost our confidence and lower our stress levels. Amy Cuddy and her colleagues conducted a study in 2010 that found participants who adopted high-power poses for two minutes had increased testosterone levels and decreased cortisol levels. Other attempts to replicate Cuddy's results have been inconsistent. Despite mixed scientific results, many people report feeling more confident and less anxious after practicing power poses.