For the study researchers, Eun Hee Lee and Dr Simone Schnall at Cambridge's Department of Psychology, questioned 145 participants about their social power in the first experiment, asked to lift boxes of varying weights and speculate the weight of the boxes. The researchers found that, people who had lower feelings of social power, thought the boxes to be bulky.

In the second experiment, the researchers asked 41 participants to sit in two different postures - some of them sat in a dominating position (one elbow on the arm of their chair and the other on the desk besides them) and the rest of them were sitting in a submissive manner ( hands placed under thighs and shoulders dropped). The researchers found that those who sat in the commanding way reported correct estimates of the boxes, whereas those in the subservient stance continued to believe the boxes to be heavy.

For the last experiment, researchers asked 68 participants to recollect either a happy or a sad incident and then determine the weights of various boxes. Those who recalled a powerful incident reported correct weights, while those with powerless incident continued to overrate the mass of the boxes.

Researchers conclude that when a person is put in a powerless situation, he/she tends to perceive the outside world differently. Such people need to practise extra caution while spending internal existing resources than those in powerful position.