Change your thinking, change anything?

Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.--William James

What if someone came along and told you that you’re doing something right? Not only that, but this person explained that an activity you do everyday is playing a vital role in helping you to live a better life. And let’s say that this person told you that you didn’t have to change a thing. Just keep up the good work. Would just knowing that you were doing something right change anything about you? I’m guessing you said ‘no.’ If so, you’re wrong.

A recent study by Alia Crum and Ellen Langer of Harvard University showed that simply telling people that their regular daily activity levels provided health benefits allowed the benefits to materialize. Here’s how the study worked. Crum and Langer talked to 84 hotel housekeepers. All 84 were tested for various aspects of physical condition, like blood pressure, weight, and body fat. After the tests, roughly half the women (all the housekeepers were female) were told that the work they do everyday is good exercise. These women were given information in the form of a seminar, written materials, and posters tacked up where they could see the information everyday. The other group was told nothing about the relationship between their everyday work activities and the health benefits of their work as exercise

Four weeks later, the women were tested again. Not surprisingly, the women who were told nothing about their work and its health benefits had not changed. Their blood pressures, weights, and body fat were the same as before. The women in the “informed” group, however, were significantly different. The women who were told that their work provided health benefits experienced the benefits. They lost weight, their  blood pressures went down, and their body fat percentages were reduced. These women had not changed anything behaviorally--not diet, not exercise, not quitting smoking, nothing--yet, simply by being told that they were doing something right, they experienced a significant breakthrough.

What you tell yourself is powerful. The information you put into your head is powerful. One thing this research suggests is that having someone positive in your life, who sees what you’re doing right and brings that perspective to your attention, can have a meaningful effect. An effect that can change how things turn out for you.

What do you want to achieve? The next time someone tells you that you’re doing it right or making progress, pay attention. Just by putting their words into your consciousness, you can experience a breakthrough.

Comments

[Brian Darnell]

That is really good evidence for proving the "Acting as if" principle and the positive affects of affirmations.

Thanks Tara.