10 Proven Ways to Appear and Feel More Confident

Lisa Franchi September 02, 2014

Confidence – we need it most of the time. We need it to close a business deal, find new clients, succeed in business, thrive in the workplace and get promoted, meet new people, establish friendships, let go of past hurts, take risks, overcome difficult challenges, fall in love, and so on. Confidence, also known as self-belief, is a powerful force that motivates us to pursue our goals in life and push us to become better.

But it’s not every day that confidence is there to save us. Sometimes, and for many different reasons, we tend to lose faith in ourselves. For some people, it’s the fear of not being good enough or not having the skills to succeed. For others, it’s thinking that there’s someone else better that makes them feel less confident.

Whatever your reason may be, there are sure-fire ways to tap into your confidence and increase your chances of surviving a challenge.

Make a ‘rewind’ of your past successes.

Nailing a job interview, getting a perfect score in the entrance exam, solving a difficult puzzle game – recalling past triumphant experiences can significantly boost your mood and increase your confidence levels, especially during times when you’re not feeling at your best. That’s the finding of a 2013 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Researchers found that channelling a moment when you were genuinely captivating can make you feel more confident. Even looking at your resume can boost your spirit!

Dress up.

Getting ready for a presentation at work? Make sure to wear your best corporate attire. A study by Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University suggests that what we wear have a direct effect on how secure and powerful you feel. In their experiment, participants who wore white doctor coats (in other words, a piece of clothing associated with a certain quality -- in this case, care and intelligence) performed better on the experiment’s administered test than those who did not. Interestingly, the study subjects who wore similar white coats but were told they were artists’ coats did not perform above average. As a result, lead author Adam Galinsky says their findings show that it’s not just the experience of wearing the clothes, but the symbolic meaning they hold for people. “It’s the simultaneous combination of the posture or the clothes and the symbolic meaning of them that matters,” he says.

Stretch it out.

Before you go up to the stage for your speech, give your muscles some nice stretch. Stretching boosts your blood flow, which improves your mood. What’s more, stretching can also calm you down.

Tune in to ‘high power’ music.

Listening to 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” is great when you are celebrating your birthday. But research suggests it’s also a good tune to play before heading to a job interview. Another research from Northwestern University found that those who listened to the "high-power" or bass-heavy music felt more confident and powerful when going into interviews and meetings, while those listening to the "low-power" music felt meeker, and made more mistakes in a test measuring abstract thinking.

Enjoy your morning ritual.

Wake up early so won’t feel the need to rush. Your morning grooming ritual can be turned into a moment of mindfulness, which can have a huge impact on your confidence.

Put on some makeup.

Nancy Etcoff, an assistant clinical professor at Harvard Medical School and a research psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, studied the impact of makeup on viewers. She and her colleagues asked people to rate photographs of women with and without makeup. Seen very quickly (250 milliseconds), women wearing makeup looked more attractive, likeable, competent and trustworthy to viewers than those who went without it.

Stand up straight.

A study published in the journal Psychological Science showed that a tall, expansive posture helps you act and feel more powerful than more drawn-in stances. Having a good posture may also increase confidence-boosting testosterone in the body – a potential indicator of success.

Validate yourself.

You’re in a room with many other professionals from different parts of the country. You recognise familiar faces. Yes, you saw them in magazines and other publications. Rather than feeling diffident, chose to be real. Realise that you’re in that conference room because like them, you deserve it. Like them, you possess certain skills and talents.

Do something kind for your body.

Tomorrow, make yourself a healthy breakfast rather than hitting up the coffee shop or fast food joint. Went out of work early? Go for a walk or a quick workout. Instead of the calorie-dense frap, opt for a homemade green juice. The more you take care of your body, the better you will feel.

Face a fear.

This is not an easy task but the reward is big. Every time you face a fear, your confident levels go ten times up. It really feels rewarding to conquer a fear and you will feel stronger and more prepared to face any other challenges.