Need a little confidence boost while giving a speech, doing a job interview or asking someone out on a date? Strike a “power pose” beforehand! According to a just-released study out of Harvard Business School, certain poses raise your body’s level of testosterone in minutes, making you feel confident, bold and in charge. Plus, they lower your body’s level of the stress hormone cortisol, so you’re more relaxed.

So, what are these power poses? Ones that open up your body and take up lots of space, like standing up straight and putting your hands on your hips or reclining back in a chair and putting your feet up on a desk. By contrast, taking up less space, for instance, by crossing your arms or hunching, makes you feel less confident, the researcher say.

[photo: CosmoPolitician]

Tune in to the live stream tonight at 8 pm ET for the Colorado radio station KRFC 88.9 (krfcfm.org/listen.php) to hear me being interviewed by esteemed hormone researcher Leslie Botha, founder of holyhormones.com and co-author of the ebook Understanding Your Mood, Mind and Hormone Cycle.