Psyching yourself up isn't about creating a "false bravado" its more a matter of getting your body and mind in the righy physical and mental state before entering a physically, mentally, or emotionally strenuous situation. The going theory is that your body has different physical and mental states (different levels of testosterone, serotonin, endorphins etc etc etc), which are activated under certain conditions. Acts like a runner walking the track before a race, a basketball player visualizing a free-throw shot, a boxer shadow boxing before a match, aren't a tool for creating a false sense of confidence, they are merely a means to activating the right physical and mental state. It's true that psyching oneself up won't make the runner win the race, basketball player make the shot, or the boxer win the match, but thats beside the point, and outside the context of the original topic. It's again, merely a method of putting yourself in the right mental and physical state. David D. mentions similar practices in the dating world. He mentions practicing different mental states by remembering times when you felt confident, and putting yourself back into that state of mind. That way the confidence you're projecting is confidence you're feeling of your own merit, and not some artificial tool to fool women into thinking you really are confident. Again its a matter of activating the right physical and mental states that are appropriate to the situation.