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What would happen if we forcibly disrupt Amy Cuddy's power-pose balance?
At 5minutes and 15 seconds in the talk by Amy Cuddy she gives an example of a real life situation of how the different poses look.
However she also sais that "we don't mirror them but we do the opposite" noting that when confronted with a high power pose you automatically tend to adjust to a low power pose.
This fact obviously gives some discrepancy with her own story that you can fake it till you make it. Because of the simple reason that not both people could be dominant at the same time given her example. (Or what about when both people fake it)
What would happen if we forcibly disrupt this balance?
My personal idea is that one of 3 things could happen.
1) the party which is, by nature, most dominant would "win" leaving the other, who fakes it, in a low power pose (probably also the "loser" would have a high stress level because he just tried something dominant but failed).
2) they somehow reach some equilibrium where both are in a 'normal' pose (perhaps creating some distance between eachother by crossing their arms or something like that while standing tall and confident).
3) they both become stressed out and get very on edge (aka huge cortisol levels).
Fritzie Reisner 100+
Let's say instead, the shrinking violet comes in with a can-do way of projecting himself (not shrinking, but not Captain America either). Number two doesn't now become a shrinking violet, but thinks "I have a full partner in this."
I don't see most situations in life as contests for authority with either escalating poses or people needing to settle into a hierarchy.
Richard Krooman 50+
It would be nice if both would think "I have a full partner in this" but to me her line about 'complementing the other pose' has some problems regarding this (aka high power pose is complemented by a low power pose). Which is what I'm trying to saying above as well.
I can see your reasoning from a (kind of) mutual respect for body language.
I myself am unsure which of the options actually happens. Do you perhaps know of any findings that support your view? (Because I don't have this for my hypotheses which is why I asked the above question :)). It would be interresting to know about this.
Fritzie Reisner 100+
It sometimes happens, but it depends on the personalities involved and whether whomever set up the learning or work environment has done so intentionally so as to discourage or to encourage competition for status.