Humans don’t only communicate with words – we tell people things about ourselves all the time via non-verbal cues: our expressions, tics, posture, behaviour and physicality. For example, if you’re standing in a group with your head held high, your shoulders relaxed and a smile on your face, you’re telling everyone you’re comfortable and confident. Just as if you’re feeling insecure you’ll probably be hunched over, quiet and fidgety.

But here’s a secret: just as feeling confident will make you look confident, faking looking confident will actually make you feel more confident. A study in the European Journal Of Social Psychology reported how people who sat up straight in their chairs were more confident about what they were asked to write down than the people who were slouching. Simply appearing more confident and assured made them feel more confident and assured.

How to look the part (even when you’re faking it)