The Power of the Human Mind

[stromboli]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... mal-limits

Our cognitive and physical abilities are in general limited, but our conceptions of the nature and extent of those limits may need revising. In many cases, thinking that we are limited is itself a limiting factor. There is accumulating evidence that suggests that our thoughts are often capable of extending our cognitive and physical limits.

We also tend to think that our bodies respond to physical exercise in a mechanical way. We count our calorie intake, the calories we lose on a treadmill, etc. However, merely changing our thoughts about our physical activity seems capable of changing our bodies. Hotel room attendants clean on average 15 rooms per day, each room taking between 20 and 30 minutes to complete. (The physical activity involved meets the Surgeon General's recommendation of at least 30 minutes of physical exercise per day for a healthy lifestyle.) However, most hotel room attendants believe that they do not get regular exercise; and a lot of them believe that they do not get any exercise at all. Alia Crum and Ellen Langer told hotel room attendants that their work provided the recommended exercise for a healthy lifestyle. This treatment group was monitored for 4 weeks. A control group of hotel room attendants, who were not told that their work provided the recommended exercise, was similarly monitored. People in the treatment group lost weight; their body fat percentages, waist-to-hip ratios, and systolic blood pressures dropped. People in the control group showed no such improvement. These changes occurred despite the fact that the hotel room attendants' amount of work, amount of exercise outside of work, and diets stayed the same.

If mindsets can change us, maybe we can deliberately choose our mindsets to improve our abilities. We can choose to adopt a mindset that improves creativity, for instance. People who think of categories as flexible and actively focus on the novel aspects of the environment become more creative. Ellen Langer and Alison Piper introduced people to familiar or unfamiliar objects conditionally or unconditionally. If an object, say a dog's chew toy, was introduced unconditionally, its description simply read, "This is a dog's chew toy." When the dog's chew toy was introduced conditionally, its description read, "This could be a dog's chew toy." When an object is introduced conditionally, it is categorized flexibly; and it is easier to focus on the aspects of an unfamiliar object without preconceptions. When people were asked to solve a problem that required creative use of available objects, only people who were introduced conditionally to unfamiliar objects could solve the problem.

As this line of research advances, we will likely discover new ways of taking control of our mindsets. Weger and Loughnan, the researchers who improved people's knowledge test results with a bogus prime, wrote, "People have significant psychological resources to improve their well-being and performance, but these resources often go unused and could be better harnessed." The mind and body are not separate; our thoughts have remarkable control over our bodies; and our mindsets are capable of improving our brains' performance.

I have always believed that human beings are capable of anything they "set their mind to" I had a friend in high school who was physically and cognitively impaired, who by simply believing he could- and aided by parents that continually encouraged him- became a successful accountant and businessman, married a fashion model wife and lived the high life because he believed in himself.

We limit ourselves far more than the world limits us.

[Solitary]

Our brains are very malleable and at its peak when we are young. This is why prodigies are able to do such remarkable things after starting very young with practice. But it doesn't just go away when we get older, at any age we can all still learn if we put our mind to it. The idea we have a separate mind and body is bogus. Both can be improved at any age, it's just harder as we get older. Solitary

[stromboli]

This can be restated any number of ways, from "The Power of Positive Thinking" to "don't settle" but the point is overall the same. When we understand the level of ability we can attain simply by believing and the effort that follows, is more than simply making the effort.

I was just glad to see scientific backing to what I have always believed. Sheer determination and self belief can surmount tremendous obstacles.

[Plu]

In the same vein, you can actually become stronger just by thinking about excercise.

See: http://www.jonathanfields.com/blog/brai ... ight-loss/

If we really are mostly limited by what we think we can do, then I guess religion has fucked up the progress of society even further than we formerly imagined. And people who tell others they´ll never be able to do something really need to be taught to shut the fuck up.

[stromboli]

In the same vein, you can actually become stronger just by thinking about excercise.

See: http://www.jonathanfields.com/blog/brai ... ight-loss/

If we really are mostly limited by what we think we can do, then I guess religion has fucked up the progress of society even further than we formerly imagined. And people who tell others they´ll never be able to do something really need to be taught to shut the fuck up.

100% agree. Thanks for the link. found a new tin foil hat to add to my collection.  :-D

[Solitary]

:shock:  WTF! If anyone thinks they can get buffed by thinking about it---good luck with that one.  :roll:  Solitary

[Plu]

Well, it's not just "anyone thinks", it's been scientifically tested and apparently it really works.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

That's it! I'm setting my mind to starting the F.O.G (Fuck the Old Guy) Foundation, an organization dedicated to believing that ALL rich, young, freshmen college girls will soon want ME as their sole sexual provider and will reject all those young studs of college age in favor of old, skinny, toothless homeless guys!..namely me! :) Thanks for the helpful words because frankly I had become disappointed in my previous pursuits in this matter, but now have renewed FAITH! I just have to believe it enough!

[stromboli]

That's it! I'm setting my mind to starting the F.O.G (Fuck the Old Guy) Foundation, an organization dedicated to believing that ALL rich, young, freshmen college girls will soon want ME as their sole sexual provider and will reject all those young studs of college age in favor of old, skinny, toothless homeless guys!..namely me! :) Thanks for the helpful words because frankly I had become disappointed in my previous pursuits in this matter, but now have renewed FAITH! I just have to believe it enough!

Work really, really hard on that one.