Amy Joy Casselberry Cuddy (born July 23, 1972) is an American
social psychologist
Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field of ...
, author and speaker. She is a proponent of "
power posing
Power posing is a controversial self-improvement technique or "life hack" in which people stand in a posture that they mentally associate with being powerful, in the hope of feeling more confident and behaving more assertively. Though the underl ...
", a
self-improvement
Personal development or self-improvement consists of activities that develops a person's capabilities and potential, enhance quality of life, and facilitate the realization of dreams and aspirations. Personal development may take place over the c ...
technique whose scientific validity has been questioned.
She has served as a faculty member at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
,
Kellogg School of Management
The Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management (branded as Northwestern Kellogg) is the graduate business school of Northwestern University, a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois.
History
Early ...
and
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...
. Cuddy's most cited academic work involves using the
stereotype content model
In social psychology, the stereotype content model (SCM) is a model, first proposed in 2002, postulating that all group stereotypes and interpersonal impressions form along two dimensions: (1) warmth and (2) competence.
The model is based on the ...
that she helped develop to better understand the way people think about stereotyped people and groups. Though Cuddy left her tenure-track position at
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...
in the spring of 2017,
she continues to contribute to its executive education programs.
Early life and education
Cuddy grew up in
Robesonia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from
Conrad Weiser High School
Conrad Weiser High School is a public high school in Robesonia in Berks County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Conrad Weiser Area School District and serves students in grades 9– 12 in South Heidelberg Township, Heidelberg Township, Nor ...
in 1990.
In 1998, Cuddy earned a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
, graduating ''
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'' from the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...
.
She experienced a traumatic brain injury during college. She attended the
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...
from 1998 to 2000 before transferring to
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
to follow her adviser,
Susan Fiske
Susan Tufts Fiske (born August 19, 1952) is an American psychologist who served as the Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs in the Department of Psychology at Princeton University. She is a social psychologist known for her wo ...
.
She received a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
in 2003 and a
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...
in 2005 in
social psychology
Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...
(dissertation: "The BIAS Map: Behavior from intergroup affect and stereotypes") from Princeton University.
Academic career
From 2005 to 2006, Cuddy was an assistant professor of psychology at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
.
From 2006 to 2008, she was an assistant professor at the
Kellogg School of Management
The Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management (branded as Northwestern Kellogg) is the graduate business school of Northwestern University, a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois.
History
Early ...
at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
, where she taught leadership in organizations in the MBA program and research methods in the doctoral program.
From 2008 to 2017, she was an assistant professor and then associate professor in the Negotiation, Organizations and Markets Unit at the
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...
, where she taught courses in negotiations, leadership, power and influence, and research methods. In the spring of 2017, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported, "she quietly left her tenure-track job at Harvard",
where she lectured in the psychology department.
Research
Stereotypes
In 2002, Cuddy co-authored the proposal of the
stereotype content model
In social psychology, the stereotype content model (SCM) is a model, first proposed in 2002, postulating that all group stereotypes and interpersonal impressions form along two dimensions: (1) warmth and (2) competence.
The model is based on the ...
, with
Susan Fiske
Susan Tufts Fiske (born August 19, 1952) is an American psychologist who served as the Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs in the Department of Psychology at Princeton University. She is a social psychologist known for her wo ...
and
Peter Glick (Lawrence University). In 2007, the same authors proposed the "Behaviors from Intergroup Affect and Stereotypes" (BIAS) Map model.
These models propose to explain how individuals make judgments of other people and groups within two core trait dimensions, warmth and competence, and to discern how these judgments shape and motivate our social emotions, intentions, and behaviors.
Power posing
In 2010, Cuddy,
Dana Carney and Andy Yap published the results of an experiment on how nonverbal expressions of power (such as expansive, open, space-occupying postures)
affect people's feelings, behaviors, and hormone levels.
In particular, they claimed that adopting body postures associated with dominance and power ("power posing") for as little as two minutes can increase testosterone, decrease
cortisol
Cortisol is a steroid hormone in the glucocorticoid class of hormones and a stress hormone. When used as medication, it is known as hydrocortisone.
Cortisol is produced in many animals, mainly by the ''zona fasciculata'' of the adrenal corte ...
, increase appetite for risk, and cause better performance in job interviews. This was widely reported in popular media.
David Brooks summarized the findings, "If you act powerfully, you will begin to think powerfully."
Other researchers tried to replicate this experiment with a larger group of participants and a double-blind setup. The experimenters found that power posing increased subjective feelings of power, but did not affect hormones or actual risk tolerance. They published their results in ''
Psychological Science
''Psychological Science'', the flagship journal of the Association for Psychological Science, is a monthly, peer-reviewed scientific journal published by SAGE Publications. The journal publishes research articles, short reports, and research repor ...
''.
Though Cuddy and others are continuing to carry out research into power posing, Carney has disavowed the original results. The theory is often cited as an example of the
replication crisis
The replication crisis, also known as the reproducibility or replicability crisis, refers to the growing number of published scientific results that other researchers have been unable to reproduce or verify. Because the reproducibility of empir ...
in psychology, in which initially seductive theories cannot be replicated in follow-up experiments.
Publications
;Books
In December 2015 Cuddy published a
self-help
Self-help or self-improvement is "a focus on self-guided, in contrast to professionally guided, efforts to cope with life problems" —economically, physically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis.
When ...
book advocating power posing, ''Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges'', which built on the value of the outward practice of power posing to focus on projecting one's authentic self with the inward-focused concept of ''presence''—defined as "believing in and trusting yourself – your real honest feelings, values and abilities."
The book reached at least as high as #3 on ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''
Best Seller list (Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous) in February 2016.
The book was translated into 32 languages.
;Academic papers
*
*
* , listed among "The Top 10 Psychology Studies of 2010" by Halvorson (2010).
* Cuddy, A. J. C., Fiske, S. T., & Glick, P. (2008)
Warmth and competence as universal dimensions of social perception: The Stereotype Content Model and the BIAS Map In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), ''Advances in Experimental Social Psychology'' (vol. 40, pp. 61–149). New York, NY: Academic Press.
*
*
*
;TED talk
*
*
TED Talk: Amy Cuddy: "Your body language shapes who you are"(
TED Global, June 2012), about the effect of peoples' body language on their perception of how powerful they themselves are.
*** PopTech Annual Conference, 'Talk of the Day' October 21, 2011
Awards and honors
* World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, 2014
* ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine 'Game Changer', 2012
* Rising Star Award, Association for Psychological Science (APS), 2011
* The HBR List: Breakthrough Ideas for 2009, ''Harvard Business Review''
* Michele Alexander Early Career Award, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, 2008
*
BBC 100 Women
''100 Women'' is a BBC multi-format series established in 2013. The annual series examines the role of women in the 21st century and has included events in London and Mexico. Announcement of the list is the start of an international "BBC's wome ...
, 2017: glass ceiling team
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuddy, Amy
Living people
1972 births
People from Berks County, Pennsylvania
American social psychologists
University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni
Princeton University alumni
University of Colorado alumni
American scientists with disabilities
People with traumatic brain injuries
21st-century American psychologists
Harvard Business School faculty
Kellogg School of Management faculty
Rutgers University faculty
21st-century American women scientists
21st-century American women writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers