Ep. 17 - Your Mind is a Powerful Thing - Mindset Research

What we think and what we say has a great influence on the world around you. In this podcast we will discuss 3 different studies that talk about the effect that our beliefs and even our statements have on outcomes. 

 

The first study we talk about is the Blue Eyed vs. Brown Eyed Study. In this experiment a teacher tells her students that the blue eyed students were found to be more intelligent and she gave them exams. The next day she exclaimed that she had made a mistake and it actually was the brown eyed students who were more intelligent and again administered an exam. What the tests showed is that when the students were told they were more intelligent, their performance increased and if they believed they were less intelligent their performance decreased. 

 

The next study we talk about is the Intelligent Vs Hard Working Study. In this experiment groups of kids were told they were intelligent or hard working. The researchers gave the students progressively more difficult tests to take and the students could opt out of the tests whenever they wanted. The students who were told they were more intelligent bowed out of the testing earlier than the students who were told they were hard working. The result are, the students who were told they were smart became fearful of losing their title of "intelligent" and stopped taking the test when they feared they would be found out. The students who were told they were hard workers were much more willing to endure the more difficult tests because they only way they could lose their title was to stop trying.

 

The final study was in regard to cancer and beliefs about survival. This study follows 3 groups of cancer patients. One group believed they were going to die, the next believed they would live, and the last group believed they would die but told others and themselves that they would survive. The group that believed they would die were statistically more likely to die than the other 2 groups. The other 2 groups, however, had the same survival rate. The people who believed they would die but said they would survive had the same survival rate as the group that believed they would survive.

Your mind is a powerful thing, don't underestimate the importance of mindset.

 

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{Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide diagnosis or treatment.  For additional and personalized support, please seek professional help or call the National Suicide Hotline at 988 if you or someone you know is contemplating suicide or needs emotional support.}