Dominance and prestige: Meta-analytic review of experimentally induced body position effects on behavioral, self-report, and physiological dependent variables.

Abstract

Early research on body positions suggested that engaging in certain nonverbal displays can lead to changes in self-report, behavioral, and physiological dependent variables. Still, there has been intense criticism regarding the replicability of these effects. To determine what effects are valid, we conducted a meta-analytic review on body position studies. We used the dominance-prestige framework and distinguished between high-power poses representing dominance and upright postures representing prestige. We preregistered our meta-analysis, used the largest sample of studies thus far, and analyzed several theoretical and exploratory moderator variables. Based on 313 effects from 88 studies involving 9,779 participants, evidence was obtained for an overall statistically significant effect of body positions that was not trivial in size, g = 0.35 (95% CI [0.28,0.42]). Both the poses and postures showed effects for self-report and behavioral dependent variables but not for physiological dependent variables. However, sensitivity analyses suggested that effects for behavioral dependent variables were influenced by publication bias and/or outliers. Effects were noticeably larger in studies without cover stories and in studies that used within-subjects designs, suggesting that demand characteristics might partially explain the results. Whether participants were male or female, students or nonstudents, or from an individualistic or collectivistic culture did not make a difference. We also present an app that researchers can use to enter data from future studies and thus obtain up-to-date metaanalytical results on this topic. Future research should investigate whether high-power poses/upright postures increase effects and/or whether low-power poses/slumped postures decrease effects.

Using bodily displays to facilitating approach action outcomes within the context of a personally relevant task

“…These findings run somewhat counter both to our hypotheses and to the findings in recent meta‐analyses, showing that effects of bodily displays may be ascribed to the absence of contractive displays rather than the presence of expansive displays (Elkjær et al., 2022 ; Körner et al., 2022 ). However, previous experiments have not evaluated the effect of bodily displays within the context of personal relevance.…”

“…The EXP regulation strategy was based on research demonstrating how these displays are associated with more positive mood and more overt approach behavior (Carney et al., 2010 ; Elkjær et al., 2022 ; Körner et al., 2022 ). The CON regulation strategy was similarly based on research demonstrating that these displays are associated with less empowerment and less overt approach behavior (Carney et al., 2010 ; Yap et al., 2013 ).…”

“…on the effect of expansive and contractive displays on affective, behavioral, and hormonal outcomes (Carney et al, 2015;Cesario et al, 2017;Cuddy et al, 2018;Elkjaer et al, 2022;Körner & Schütz, 2020;Körner et al, 2022;Simmons & Simonsohn, 2017). These syntheses find that engaging in either expansive or contractive bodily displays alters affective (e.g., power feelings, self-efficacy) and behavioral outcomes (g = 0.36, p = < .001; Elkjaer et al, 2022) but not hormonal outcomes (i.e., testosterone, cortisol).…”

“…Studies of bodily displays have frequently compared two sets of displays: expansive displays, which have often been associated with approach and engagement, and contractive displays, commonly associated with avoidance or withdrawal (O'Toole & Mikkelsen, 2021 ). Recently, a number of reviews and meta‐analyses have been conducted on the effect of expansive and contractive displays on affective, behavioral, and hormonal outcomes (Carney et al., 2015 ; Cesario et al., 2017 ; Cuddy et al., 2018 ; Elkjær et al., 2022 ; Körner & Schütz, 2020 ; Körner et al., 2022 ; Simmons & Simonsohn, 2017 ). These syntheses find that engaging in either expansive or contractive bodily displays alters affective (e.g., power feelings, self‐efficacy) and behavioral outcomes ( g = 0.36, p = < .001; Elkjær et al., 2022 ) but not hormonal outcomes (i.e., testosterone, cortisol).…”

“…First, regarding the shortage of experimental studies including a neutral control condition, this methodological issue limits the ability to ascribe a possible effect of expansive or contractive bodily displays to the appropriate condition. Indeed, recent reviews and meta‐analyses found that only a small number of studies compared expansive or contractive bodily displays to a neutral condition (Elkjær et al., 2022 ; Körner et al., 2022 ). When investigating the effects of these studies on affective, behavioral, and hormonal outcomes, contractive displays differed from neutral displays, while expansive displays did not differ from neutral displays.…”