Bodies in Context: Power Poses As a Computation of Action Possibility

One perspective on embodiment proposes that bodily states exert direct, context-free effects on psychological states, as in the research on “power poses.” We propose instead that bodily states influence psychology by providing information about what actions are possible. If such an assessment is to be effective, however, it must consider the body as it exists in context, as context provides essential information in defining action possibility. In Study 1, expansive and constrictive poses influenced power only when held in an interpersonal context, which provides action-relevant meaning to these poses as dominance and submissiveness. In Study 2, poses had no effect on power when roles provided more important information about potential action (e.g., being frisked by police while holding an expansive pose resulted in less powerful behavior). If the function of cognition is to prepare the body for effective action, then cognitive processes cannot be insensitive to the current context.