A recent study from Northumbria University has discovered something that might just change the daily lives of shorter men everywhere — and no, it doesn’t involve going to the gym or buying stilts.
It turns out the secret to appearing more confident and dominant is all in how you walk.
In research published in Scientific Reports, scientists motion-tracked 52 men as they walked, then turned them into faceless, stripped-back digital avatars.
These anonymous walkers were then shown to 137 participants, who were asked to judge how dominant each figure appeared. Interestingly, the results suggested that “swagger” and side-to-side sway could have a bigger impact on perceived dominance than a traditionally muscular, stereotypically powerful physique.
In other words, a smaller man with the right strut could come across as more commanding than a heavily built man with all the presence of someone heading reluctantly to collect a parcel from the post office.
The researchers identified two key ingredients for a confident walk. First, torso sway — the gentle rocking of the upper body from side to side with each step. Second, shoulder abduction — essentially keeping the shoulders held wide and open, rather than slouched inwards like you’ve just remembered an embarrassing email from 2014.
Combined, these movements create the impression of a larger upper body, tricking the brain into perceiving greater physical strength and confidence.
Put simply, the study suggests our brains are surprisingly quick to judge people based on gait alone — treating the way someone walks as a kind of instant “threat assessment”. So if all else fails, just walk like you’ve got somewhere important to be… even if it’s just to your nearest outdoor gear shop.