THE INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER
REVISED AND UPDATED

Charisma is not a personality trait. It’s a set of learnable behaviors.

The Charisma Myth shows you how to become more charismatic by changing how you think, feel, and behave. Learn the skills that shape trust, influence, and leadership.

Charisma is often mistaken for charm, extroversion, or attractiveness.
In reality, it is the result of specific internal states and external signals that anyone can learn to generate— reliably.

Becoming more charismatic doesn’t mean transforming your fundamental personality. It’s about adopting a series of specific practices that fit in with the personality you already have.

Charisma is now an applied science: In controlled laboratory experiments, researchers can raise or lower people’s level of charisma as if they were turning a dial.

What you’ll find here is practical magic: The world will become your lab, and every person you meet, a chance to experiment.

This new edition includes techniques for online charisma and the use of virtual reality in charismatic behavior and mindset practice.

Charisma: it’s not innate, it can be learned—and this book will show you how.

PRAISE FOR
THE CHARISMA MYTH

 

 “The top book I’ve read all year.”

—Dr. Tina Seelig, Executive Director, Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Stanford University School of Engineering

 

“Olivia Fox Cabane offers hands-on advice and a practical guide to humanizing leaders without compromising integrity or authority. She focused on the ‘it’ factors that can make a real difference.”

—Laura Lang, CEO, Time Inc.

“Cabane has done us a big favor. She’s woven solid science and engaging narrative into an instructive treatment of the role of charisma in leadership—a topic that (until now) we only poorly understood.” 

—Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

 

“If you are interested in increasing your ability to be charismatic in your unique setting or employment, this book will give you direct skills to use.” 

—Psychology Today

 

“The Charisma Myth is an easy read, effectively integrating stories and research, strategies and applications, techniques and practices.”

— New York Journal of Books

10 THINGS THIS BOOK WILL TEACH YOU

  1. Charisma is a learnable skill, not an innate trait.

  2. Anyone can become charismatic by practicing specific behaviors and mental states.

  3. Charisma is created by combining presence, power, and warmth.

  4. Presence makes people feel seen, understood, and valued.

  5. Warmth builds trust while power creates credibility and influence.

  6. Your internal state determines your charisma: whatever your mind believes, your body will manifest.

  7. Nonverbal signals often matter more than words.

  8. Confidence can be generated even when you don’t feel confident.

  9. You can learn to enter a charismatic state on demand, even when you feel anxious, awkward, or uncertain, and even in high-pressure moments. 

  10. Charisma is a learnable, practical tool you can use in leadership, persuasion, interviews, and high-stakes situations.

“By the next quarterly review, I was seen as an asset to the organization, somebody who should be groomed for leadership… Beyond work, the impact is visible in social interactions as well.

This confidence in myself reverberated into others having confidence in me and my abilities. I literally had someone I met for the first time ask me, ‘How come you are so confident?’”

— Shashank B., New York, New York

“I started practicing all the techniques in this book, from the simple concentration practices to deeper psychological insights. 

Changes started happening, from getting the first job to receiving rewards and recognitions.

I now have fifty-plus faculty under my supervision, and I am receiving the warmest feedback from them, telling how much I changed their lives and how they value our connection.”

— Tatiana Andrienko-Genin, Miami, Florida

“A year after relocating to California as a researcher’s spouse, I felt invisible. Without a job, I wasn’t just unemployed— I was completely lost. Teaching had always defined me, and I knew what I wanted now: a teaching assistant position at Stanford.”

But why would they hire me— a non-native English speaker, an outsider— over countless local, fluent candidates?

A friend handed me The Charisma Myth. ‘Stop fixating on your English,’ she said. ‘Focus on body language.’ That, I could do.

Three days later, my phone rang: ‘Nadia, when can you start?’”

— Nadia Belkind, Palo Alto, California

Black and white sketch of Olivia Fox Cabane with dark, curly hair, wearing earrings.

MEET THE AUTHOR

OLIVIA FOX CABANE

is one of the world’s leading authorities on the science of charisma and the bestselling author of The Charisma Myth and The Net And The Butterfly, which have been translated into 36 languages.  

Previously Director of Innovative Leadership for Stanford StartX, Olivia has lectured on charisma, leadership, and innovation at Harvard, Yale, MIT, the Marine War College and the United Nations. 

She has been featured in media such as The New York Times, The Economist and The Wall Street Journal. Her clients include the leadership of Deloitte, UBS, Google, and TikTok as well as the founders of Airbnb, Brex, Paradigm and Presight.    

As cofounder of the KindEarth.Tech Foundation, she supports foodtech’s most innovative companies for environmental sustainability.

Olivia is fluent in four languages and was the youngest person ever to have been appointed Foreign Trade Advisor to the French Government. 

View Olivia’s site here.

WATCH OLIVIA’S KEYNOTE

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A stack of white paper with printed text, the top sheet titled '7 Charismatic First Impressions' in a large font, with the text below discussing the importance of first impressions and charisma.

LEARN HOW TO…

  • Become fully present so people feel genuinely seen and understood.

  • Project warmth and confidence to build trust and influence.

  • Communicate authority without arrogance or aggression.

  • Master your internal state to stay calm, grounded, and focused under pressure.

  • Use simple mental tools to prepare for high-stakes interactions.

  • Adapt your charismatic style to different situations, roles, and power dynamics.

  • Inspire, influence, and lead others by shaping how you are experienced—moment by moment.

VIEW PDF OF SAMPLE CHAPTERS →

BONUS CONTENT