Sit Up for Success

According to an article in the April 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, if you want to increase your confidence, try improving your posture. People who keep their spines straight and chest lifted not only project more self-assurance, but actually feel it, too and Ohio State study found. Students (who thought they were investigating how actors maintain different postures) were instructed to write down pros and cons about themselves as job candidates. Those told to maintain good posture while making their lists were more secure about their assessments than those instructed to slump. Just be sure to focus on your best qualities (“I’m punctual, creative…”), since better posture also reinforced participants’ negative entries (“I procrastinate, don’t speak up enough…”).

So, maybe there was something to it when you mother or grandmother always told you to stand and sit up straight.