Power posing

Two minutes in an expansive pose raises testosterone, lowers cortisol and improves risk-taking.

What actually happened

The hormonal and behavioural effects failed to replicate (Ranehill et al., 2015; Simmons & Simonsohn, 2017). Co-author Dana Carney publicly withdrew support. The subjective feeling of power does hold up.

What to do instead

Use it if it makes you feel better before a pitch. Do not expect anything measurable beyond that.

The laws that do this job properly

M·06Say “I'm Excited”, Not “Calm Down”Reappraising anxiety as excitement improves performance. Trying to calm down does not — it is a much longer distance to travel.solid
M·05Stress Is Enhancing, If You Believe It IsBelieving that stress improves performance changes the physiological response and the outcome.solid
D·09Advise Yourself in the Third PersonPeople reason more wisely about other people's problems than their own — and the gap closes when you address yourself by name.solid

Every law on Useful Mind tells you how strong the evidence behind it is. The ones that failed are kept here rather than quietly deleted, because knowing which advice is wrong saves you as much as knowing which is right.

See the ones that held up