The Confidence Code

The New York Times bestseller, now in paperback and updated with a new introduction

Confidence. We want it. We need it. But it can be maddeningly enigmatic and out of reach. The authors of the New York Times bestseller Womenomics deconstruct this essential, elusive, and misunderstood quality and offer a blueprint for bringing more of it into our lives.

Is confidence hardwired into the DNA of a lucky few, or can anyone learn it? Is it best expressed by bravado, or is there another way to show confidence? Which is more important: confidence or competence? Why do so many women, even the most successful, struggle with feelings of self-doubt? Is there a secret to channeling our inner confidence and finally overcoming the imposter syndrome?

In The Confidence Code, journalists Katty Kay and Claire Shipman travel to the frontiers of neuroscience on a hunt for the confidence gene, exploring the power of brain plasticity and surprising new research on its roots in our brains. They visit the world’s leading psychologists who explain how we can all choose to become more confident simply by taking action and courting risk, and how those actions change our physical wiring. They interview women leaders from the worlds of politics, sports, the military, and the arts to learn how they have tapped into this elemental resource. They examine how a lack of confidence impacts our leadership, success, and fulfillment.

Ultimately, they argue, while confidence is partly influenced by genetics, it is not a fixed psychological state. That’s the good news. You won’t discover it by thinking positive thoughts or by telling yourself (or your children) that you are perfect as you are. You also won’t find it by simply squaring your shoulders and faking it. But it does require a choice for all women in leadership: less people pleasing and perfectionism and more action, risk taking, and fast failure.

Inspiring, insightful, and persuasive, The Confidence Code shows that by acting on our best instincts and by daring to be authentic, women can feel the transformative power of a life on confidence.

This insightful book offers an evidence-based toolkit for building the self-belief you deserve:

• The Neuroscience of Confidence: Discover surprising new research on the ‘confidence gene,’ brain plasticity, and how simple actions can physically rewire your brain for self-assurance.
• Competence Isn’t Enough: Learn why so many successful women struggle with feelings of self-doubt and why confidence—more than competence—is the key to getting ahead.
• Action Over Perfectionism: Trade people-pleasing and analysis paralysis for a new habit of action, risk-taking, and fast failure—the essential ingredients for a confident life.
• A Growth Mind-Set: Find out how to stop internalizing setbacks and start seeing challenges not as a reflection of your ability, but as an opportunity for progress.
• Lessons from Leaders: Gain inspiration from interviews with trailblazing women in politics, sports, and the military who reveal how they tapped into their own elemental confidence.