Psychology says feeling powerful can make people more action-oriented: A landmark study found people primed with power were more likely to take goal-directed action

Power is often associated with confidence or influence, but one of its most consistent psychological effects may be much simpler: it makes people more likely to act. A landmark 2003 study by researchers Adam Galinsky, Deborah Gruenfeld, and Joe Magee, published in Stanford Business, found that participants who were experimentally primed to feel powerful consistently took more goal-directed action than those made to feel powerless.

Across several experiments, people in high-power conditions were more likely to remove an irritating fan, make the first move in a negotiation, or take action when others hesitated. The findings suggest that power changes more than how people think about themselves.

It also lowers the threshold for turning intentions into action.

The study showed the effect across different situationsThe 2003 research remains influential because the effect appeared across several unrelated tasks.

Participants who recalled experiences of having power did not simply report feeling more confident; they became more likely to initiate behavior when an opportunity appeared.The researchers argued that power activates an “approach orientation,” meaning people become more inclined to pursue goals rather than delay or avoid action. The effect was not limited to high-stakes decisions. Whether removing an uncomfortable fan or taking the first step in a social dilemma, participants who felt more powerful were consistently more willing to act.

Later work has continued to support this explanation. A review of the approach-inhibition theory of power, published in ScienceDirect, concluded that power generally increases approach-related thoughts and behaviors, encouraging people to move toward opportunities rather than remain inhibited. Rather than making people automatically better decision-makers, power appears to increase readiness to initiate action.

Feeling powerful changes motivation, not just confidenceThe findings are often misunderstood as evidence that power simply boosts confidence, and the research suggests something more specific.

Power changes how people respond when a goal is already available.Experimental studies published in Guilford Press Periodicals found that people primed with high power showed stronger behavioral approach tendencies than those primed with low power, supporting the idea that power influences motivation itself rather than merely changing self-perception. In practical terms, people who feel powerful are more likely to speak first, make decisions sooner, or begin solving a problem instead of waiting for someone else to act.

Acting quickly can sometimes be beneficial and sometimes lead to poor decisions if important information is overlooked, and the research focuses on the likelihood of initiating action rather than the quality of the action itself.The 2003 study remains one of the clearest demonstrations that feeling powerful changes behavior as well as thought, because participants primed with power repeatedly proved more willing to take goal-directed action than those who felt powerless, while later research has shown that power consistently activates an approach-oriented mindset that encourages people to move toward opportunities instead of hesitating.

Together, these findings suggest that one of power’s strongest psychological effects is not simply making people feel more confident. It is making them more likely to take the first step.