A small shift in posture might say a lot before you even speak.
In a recent episode of communication expert Jefferson Fisher’s podcast, Dr. Shadé Zahrai, PhD, a confidence expert and author of Big Trust: Rewire Self-Doubt, Find Your Confidence, and Fuel Success, said one body language cue can signal confidence in social settings.
“The distance between the chin and your chest,” she tells Fisher.
Zahrai said that gap tends to shrink when people feel insecure.
“When you’re slouching, when you’re withdrawing, when you feel insecure, yeah sure shoulders go…but it’s also your head that drops,” she says, gesturing her head to tilt downwards.
She said increasing that distance in a natural way can change how a person feels and how others respond.
“So if you can just think, ‘Okay, what is the distance between my chin and my chest, and how do I elongate it? Not by looking at the ceiling, but in a natural state, you will naturally feel more empowered.”
Zahrai said the gesture can also help build trust and connection.
“And you will naturally convey more of that big trust energy that we’re seeking,” she adds. “The idea is when you’re showing up as the person you want to be, people then respond to that.”
She said that reaction can build on itself.
“They respond more positively to that, which then makes you feel, ‘Maybe I really do deserve this. Maybe I do have a voice that is valued’,” she shares. “And then you show up more like that, and then they respond. So we almost create our environment based on how we choose to show up.”
According to Zahrai, the gesture is called “neck flexion.”
She linked the advice to a 2025 study published in the journal Psychophysiology. Researchers found a direct correlation between neck flexion, the act of lowering the head, and negative effects on feelings of power, or confidence, as well as lower moods.
In another podcast appearance about the research, Zahrai said neck flexion “leads us to feel more insecure, more doubtful of our ourselves. All we need to do is lengthen this distance right here [as she’s signaling with her fingers between her chin and chest], and we will start to feel more powerful.”
Confidence in social situations can be hard to come by. In 2021, a YouGov study found that 37 percent of Americans reported feeling “not very confident” in new social groups.
The American Psychological Association also suggests other ways to build confidence, including self-affirmations, celebrating personal successes, and building resilience through connection, wellness, healthy thinking, and meaning.
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