Monday, March 16, 2015

Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are - TED Talk Video

Brought to you by Owen


http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=491042

5 comments:

Grace said...

This obviously makes sense, if you are always folding your arms grouchily and ignoring people, then your body language shows you are a jerk. On the other hand, if you are really peppy and are friends with everyone, people will see you as friend material. This was an interesting TED talk, because this woman reinforced the main idea of being nice, with body and voice. Everyone has this idea of common sense that people enjoy having someone nice who doesn't show body language that suggests otherwise. Amy, I think, made a really good point with this article because I think some people that I know or people in this world are nice, somewhere deep in there, but they LOOK so grouchy, you just don't know it. Leaning sideways with your hands, for example, displays attitude. This was a good talk because I think that I do this sometimes and I should work on it. And when you first look and listen to this talk, it doesn't seem like much science when you think about your body language. But it's more than just the way you stand. There is a lot of science involved in it as well. This was a really fascinating TED talk and I hope that there will be something else like this in the future that talks about things like this in more depth and detail.

Julianna said...

I totally agree with Grace. Body language definitely shapes who you are. For example, someone is in a picture with someone else, but is turning their back to them. People would think that person doesn't like the other because that person doesn't look so open to the other. That person might actually favor the other person, but no one would know because of their body language. Even when people fake their body language, they still feel it. For example if I feel powerful, I'll do a powerful gesture. If I don't feel powerful but I still do that gesture, there's a good chance that I will still feel powerful. Not only do people notice the gestures, but there is evidence to show how people feel while they do those gestures. As Amy Cuddy mentioned, for two minutes people had to pose a high power pose or a low one, to experiment. When people would pose as a high power pose, they would feel good and powerful. When people posed as a low power pose, they would feel sad and not powerful. Overall, gestures form who you are and control brains.

Jason G. said...

Powerful poses and powerless poses can determine the way that someone thinks about you. This TED talk gave us the key to many things in life, all wrapped up in a 20 minute talk. I totally agree with Amy, but there is one thing that she didn't say. She didn't say that you could use this skill to your advantage. Like Amy said, with the job interviews, most of the interviewers made their choice based on body language, self-confidence, the level of testosterone, and the level of cortisol. For most people, body language is something that they are not aware of. Body language sends messages that are not being expressed verbally. For example, at a business meeting, if someone touches their ear, that shows a sign that they are either nervous, unsure about something, or hiding something. Based off of the other nonverbals that they act out, you can narrow those three choices down to one main choice. Also, one certain nonverbal can mean a completely different thing to one person than to another. If there is a problem in someone's life, currently in action, that certain problem can make that certain individual more sensitive to other problems. For example, if someone's sibling is bothering them, their cortisol would drop dramatically. Another example is if someone has been bothered for the entire day so far, if the smallest thing happens, they will react with a huge reaction. Most people can't catch their own body language. Body language is the same thing as mind reading. Small tweaks can turn out to big enormous changes. Body language can be a key knowledge in life, and can be very useful in most situations. For example, if you think that someone is not telling the truth, pay attention to their body language, then you will be sure.

Owen said...

I thought that this Ted talk had useful ideas in it that can help a person's confidence. I think that the science behind what happens to your testosterone and cortisol levels when you do a power pose is interesting. I never would have thought that doing a power pose could change hormone levels. Raising testosterone and lowering cortisol levels makes people more assertive, more confident, more optimistic, and they can think more abstractly. I agree with the speaker when she said at the beginning that this was the easiest two minute non-tech life hack.

Allie said...

I really enjoyed watching this TED talk. It was completely worth it. It is so cool that you body language can make you more social and outgoing, or grouchy and sad. I totally agree with Grace, this really makes sense. I also agree with her because, this is totally more science then it first conveys! I really think this was a good talk, and we should really try to do what she said. If you put your body into a power pose, then, you will become so much more comfortable around others, and you will become a much better person, even if you fake it till you make it (or till you become it). I also really enjoyed her story about the girl who faked it until she became it. It is a great example of body language in real life, and it definitely shows how your body language effects you.