Body Language Secrets to Look Like a Superhero

Okay, so you are down to 5% body fat and have the V-shaped torso of a Roman statue. But guess what? It doesn’t mean a damn unless you know how to carry yourself. Good posture, although it was once the norm in our culture, has gone by the wayside as people have adopted more relaxed poses. As a result, we look like a bunch of Nancy-boys compared to the men of 100 years ago. The good news is you can fix it, and with a bit of effort and some knowledge of body language secrets, you too can look like a superhero.

The Ultimate Key to Confidence

If you look at the body language of successful actors and politicians, you will notice one thing they all have in common: they are “open.” Instead of crossed arms, hunching over, and avoiding eye contact, these guys make themselves vulnerable by smiling, standing tall, and keeping their hands at their sides. They’d be an easy target for anyone trying to attack them, but their openness subtly says, “here I am, and I can handle anything.”

How to Look Like Superman

Here’s a killer hack to improving your posture and looking like one cool cucumber. Grab two pens or pencils, one in either hand. Stand the way you usually stand and relax your arms at your side. Take a look at the pencils. They should be parallel and pointed straight in front of you. Slumping causes them to point towards one another (and make you look like a pushover).

Here’s the quick fix: imagine a string connected to the center of your ribcage. Now lift your chest as though this string was pulling it up. Your shoulder blades should naturally retract and cause the pencils to point forward. This is your new standing pose! Practice it if you need to. It will feel weird at first, but it will be worth it.

Stack It Up

One of the keys to looking confident is amplifying strong body language while reducing weak body language.

Imagine your body is composed of three rigid masses: your head, your chest, and your hips, all which can move independently of one another but are relatively solid.

When you are standing, try to “stack” these masses on top of one another as much as possible. Instead of leaning and reaching, move your entire body towards whatever it is that you want. Having your body “stacked up” like this makes you look centered and powerful.

Walking the Walk

When you are walking, you don’t want this vertical stacking… you want to lean back a bit. (Check out Matthew McConaughey’s character in Dazed and Confused for a great example.) Lead with your hips, with your chest and head trailing behind just a bit.

Just Smile!

You may think you are looking all James Bond by avoiding eye contact and keeping a poker face, but in reality, you look like a grouch that no one wants to hang out with. How many politicians have you voted for that don’t have winning smiles? Do you think that’s a coincidence?

Make sure you make eye contact with the people you come across. When they look back at you, flash a quick smile. Hold the eye contact longer than them. In one fell swoop, you will look powerful and approachable at the same time!

With these body language secrets, you won’t even need tights and a cape to look like Superman. Let me know if you know any other tips to improving posture and body language.