5 min read ⌚ 

We start off with one very intensive, life-altering quote: Don’t fake it till you make it. Fake it till you become.

You have to admit, Amy sure does give you something to think about and contemplate.

As the Author of “Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges” her expertise is out of the question, psychology, self-help, motivation, power, influence you name it.

As one of America’s top-notch social psychologist, she focuses on various topics that can really make an impact and put ideas into action.

But don’t allow us to speak on her behalf!

We present you the Top 10 Amy Cuddy quotes:

You think that would be all?

You couldn’t be more wrong because Amy, doesn’t stop there and neither should you. As a matter of fact, we are entitled to share some clues on what gave her the edge to express herself so accurately.

First of all, as one can probably guess, Amy is an open-minded individual. These quotes will not suit you if you have two faces, one in private and one for the world.

Why do we mention this?

– In a world filled with mediocrity, all we have left is our own uniqueness, which we mustn’t sell so cheaply.

In continuation of our previous discussion we would like to add a dozen more quotes:

“Our way of thinking, our intellect, our affect, our personality—these aren’t things we expect will ever change.”

“A sensitive man, such as myself, overwhelmed by the argument leveled against him, becomes confused and can only think clearly again the bottom of the stairs.”

“When we present a new idea that we’re excited but nervous about.”

“The strongest predictors of who got the money were these traits: confidence, comfort level, and passionate enthusiasm.”

“When we fearfully hold back—activating the sympathetic nervous system’s fight-or-flight response—our vocal cords and diaphragms constrict, strangling our genuine enthusiasm.”

“In fact, when job applicants try too hard to make a good impression through nonverbal tactics such as forced smiles, it can backfire—interviewers dismiss them as phony and manipulative.”

“How do you know if a person is lying? If you’re like most people, your first response will be something like “Liars don’t make eye contact.” In a survey of 2,520 adults in sixty-three countries, 70 percent of respondents gave that answer.”

“A man when moderately angry, or even when enraged, may command the movements of his body, but… those muscles of the face which are least obedient to the will, will sometimes alone betray a slight and passing emotion.”

“When people lie, they are juggling multiple narratives: what they know to be true, what they want to be true, what they are presenting as true, and all the emotions that go along with each—fear, anger, guilt, hope. All the while, they are trying to project a credible image of themselves, which suddenly becomes very, very difficult. Their beliefs and feelings are in conflict with themselves and each other.”

“Our instinct, when under siege this way, is to focus completely on the threat, committing all our psychological resources to defending ourselves. The psychologists Geoffrey Cohen and David Sherman describe our response to these threats as “an inner alarm that arouses vigilance and the motive to reaffirm the self.”

“And the relationships between the narratives and the health outcomes were even stronger for people who were facing significant challenges, such as major illness, divorce, or losing a loved one.”

“People feel the least present when they don’t feel seen.”

“The key to presence—and this is the one thing they tell you in school—the key is relaxation.”

“Listening is crucial to presence.”

“The determination to listen—really listen—was at the heart of the effort.”

“When people feel heard, they are more willing to listen.”

“You develop solutions that other people are willing to accept and even adopt. “

“When people contribute to the solutions—when they are co-owners of them—they are more likely to commit to and follow through with them.”

“Employees can accept not receiving a promotion if they helped develop the guidelines and expectations that led to the decision.”

“The paradox of listening is that by relinquishing power—the temporary power of speaking, asserting, knowing—we become more powerful.”

“If we are focused on the potential costs, we’re likely not to act, thereby avoiding the possible dangers.”

“Equally critical is knowing how the possession of power—a certain kind of power—can reveal our truest selves.”

“When we appraise the demanding moment as an ominous threat instead of a big challenge, and when we feel we don’t have access to the resources necessary to deal with that threat, our anxiety is highest”

“Consider the results of a series of studies in which subjects were primed to feel powerful or powerless and then asked to perform simple tasks—the sorts of challenges you’ll be familiar with if you’ve ever visited popular “brain-training” sites.”

“Powerlessness and the anxiety that results from it undermine what psychologists call executive functions—high-order cognitive tools such as reasoning, task flexibility, and attention control, all of which are critical to coping well in challenging situations.”

“Both chronic and acute anxiety impair some of our most important cognitive functions in part by interfering with activity in the prefrontal cortex (among other areas), which plays an essential role in aligning our actions and thoughts with our internal goals and feelings.”

“Testosterone furnishes the courage to cheat, and elevated cortisol provides a reason to cheat.”

“Remember, we want power to, not power over.”

“The goal is intimacy, not intimidation.”

“Feelings are the consequences… of emotional behavior and bodily response.”

“The psychological and physiological benefits of yoga certainly aren’t limited to people with PTS.”

“The criticism is less likely to undermine their belief that they—not others—control their own destiny.”

“Upright speakers used fewer negative and more positive words, consistent with some of the other findings we’ve seen, but they also used fewer first-person pronouns, such as I and me”

“There is a misconception that people who are confident, have power, have high-status tend to use ‘I’ more than people who are low status…”

“Expanding your body frees you to approach, act, and persist”

Our Final Notes

According to Amy how people judge and influence one another is a battle that we must face. You can really plunge into the heat of an argument if you are armed with all sorts of information.

Don’t get deceived, nor try it for your personal gain.

I hope you all learned something because we sure did!

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.