What you talk conveys just that. But, body language conveys much more. It gives an insight into your thoughts and behaviour. Interestingly, various studies also suggest that by tweaking your body language you can rewire your brain to believe it. For instance, even if you are not feeling confident about a presentation, taking a high power posture will help you gain confidence.
Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist and associate professor at Harvard University says, “You can literally fake it until you make it. When you’re entering into a high-stress situation, two things happen: your testosterone (dominance hormone) decreases, and your cortisol (stress hormone) increases. These physiological changes are the result of your state of mind and influence everything from your body language to your speech and even your likelihood of taking risks.
Our bodies change our minds” She says that it takes only two minutes to gain your confidence. All you need to do before a situation you fear is take up high-power poses and your body does the rest. Testosterone is increased, while cortisol is decreased. Here are five body language mistakes that can ruin your career.
1.Getting too close while conversing
You cannot invade personal space of your coworkers. It is totally unacceptable. Ideally you should keep three to eight feet of distance while talking to anyone. According to Psychology Today, invasion of space causes something called limbic hijacking, an unsettling of neural activity that, in extreme cases, can cause a fight-or-flight response.
2.Keeping a deadpan face
When you don’t show your emotions, you will come across as someone not so confident. Keep your facial expressions as neutral as possible.
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