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Numerous studies show that expectations can affect everything from health to vision. For example telling hotel workers that they are cleaning is equivalent to exercise and not telling another group of hotel workers shows a statistically significant weight loss, blood pressure drop, etc in the group that was told. Or people trying to read on a screen with two bright lights on each side were given sunglasses, those that were told they were Ray-Ban sunglasses made 30% fewer errors and finished 60% faster. But everyone had the same glasses etc.
** All building to show that what we feel and think will determine what we experience, which will in turn influence what we feel and think..
The mind is a prediction machine that takes inputs from previous and overlays the current inputs in order to create a vision of the world, which can be inaccurate based upon expectations as the model uses expectations to reduce data input and processing
1807 Thomas Jefferson wrote letters to friends that were doctors stating his concerned over the overprescription of mercury, opium and other more legitimate medicines. He stated they should just give colored water, bread pills and other placebo-inducing medicines. You did not use the word placebo but already realized that people would feel just as well with fake medicine as with real medicine.
Ch. 1 the prediction machine
The brain is set up as a prediction machine. So it takes off of past experience integrates with expectation and then provides you with a version of the present
When you are having a bad day try to consider the ways your mood and expectations could have biased your view of events. Some situations are bad while others are more susceptible to expectation effects.
Boost your enjoyment of sensory experiences such as meals with the power of language. The way we label foods affects their taste, so think of or look for sumptuous descriptions of dishes
Ch 2 the pious fraud
Many of the Hmong people of Laos immigrated to the United States during the Communist revolution. When they arrived many of the men, a disproportionate number compared to mortality rates in Laos or the United States, died. And their culture they a story about a demon that comes at night and sits on the chest of men and suffocates them. Having neither a shaman nor the ability to sacrifice animals to prevent the demon, it is theorized that these men's "sudden unexpected nocturnal deaths", which is how the United States doctors labeled it, was due to these men's belief that they could no longer stop this demon. Their fear led to respiratory distress and stress on the heart which eventually and quickly killed them in the way that they feared... Another documented case, where a Hmong man was dying from a gangrenous bowel. None of the treatments in the hospital had taken effect and his family was told he would die. The family and well-wishers in the community ask the staff to allow a Hmong healer to help. The hospital relented and a shaman perform his rituals including placing a sword above the door to the ward to keep out evil spirits. Despite his initial prognosis the man subsequently made a full recovery and return to being an active member of the community..
See book clip
If you hear that a treatments affects can be partially explained by placebo, remember the biological effects are still meaningful even if they arise from expectation
If have a choice over medical treatment options try to bear in mind the factors that can influence the size of the placebo. All other things being equal bigger tablets are more effective than smaller and capsules better still
Knowing the mechanisms and benefits of a treatment can strengthen the effects of the treatment
Visualize recovery and make a plan of the journey to better health
Consider an open label placebo in addition to treatment
Ch3 do no harm
Nocebo means i shall harm.. placebo means i shall please
In an Italian study run at the University of Florence they set up a year-long study where half of the participants were warned about the side effects of medicine they were taking for in large prostate and the other half were not. The half that warned experience prevalence of erectile dysfunction 30% more than the half that were not told of the side effect. And another study people were six times more likely to discontinue treatment of aspirin for angina due to increased indigestion and nausea if they were warned first about irritation to the stomach and intestines as a possible side effect. In one trial of anxiety medication a couple of members of a placebo group developed rashes that cleared after stopping the inert pills.. the nocebo effects based on expectation. A cream proven to beat numbing analgesic made some participants feel *more* pain when they were told the cream increases sensitivity rather than numbs. .. which relates to the mind as a predictive machine
When you are warned about the potential side effects of drugs try to find out whether the same symptoms were observed in the placebo group. If so there's a good chance the side effects are the result of a nocebo response
Look critically at data representing the side effects and practice reframing. EG if you are told it has a 10% chance of a side effect focus on the fact that 90% of patients remain free of that symptom
If you do experience a side effect focus on it as a sign of the drugs healing action. Doing so will neutralize anxiety and may improve benefits of the treatment
Assess whether you are prone to pain catastrophic sizing. If so notice when you start to ruminate on symptoms. Break the cycle
When you find yourself falling into catastrophic thinking look for ways to reinterpret the situation more positively and remove those portions that do not have a good factual basis
Ch4 Mass Hysteria
Review of mirror neurons and the mirror system, such as when someone else smiles even if it has nothing to do with you or you're not necessarily amused your nerves still respond even with slight twitches. One study mimicked a drug trial and found that participants taking an inert pill reported 11 times more symptoms, such as nausea and dizziness, after observing an undercover actor feigning sickness.
Beware of people around you and the ways your body might start to mimic their mental and physical state through the brain's mirroring system
When considering cases near you, personal cases remember the potential for the role of coincidence. Don't rely on anecdotal stories
Ch5 faster stronger fitter
In a study a group of scientists took three identical rides where they were asked to cycle as hard as they possibly could for a set time or to the point of exhaustion and they quit. In the trial some participants clocks were accurate, others were slow and others were fast by 10%. The group with fast clocks went 2% less than normal clocks. The people with slow clocks went 18% further. A group of participants underwent two VO2 max test, which is to measure the aerobic capacity of the lungs, in the first test their capacity was accurately measured but in one group they were provided false positive feedback. They were told they were doing better than most of the other members in the group. The other group was not given any information. Within a few days they took the VO2 test again and those with the positive information which created enhanced expectations scored significantly better while both in the control group with no information perform slightly worse...
Before exercising think carefully about your aims for the session. How do you hope to fill at the end? What are your performance goals? You might hope to set a new personal best or you might be looking for a quick mood boost either way you'll increase your motivation and help to calibrate the prediction machine in your brain for the upcoming activity if you define what you want before it starts
Expectations can be more important than known genetic factors in determining physiological response to a workout
Use a routine, certain foods, clothes or songs to get energized and push toward a workout. Allow expectations to bring performance boost
View muscle soreness and fatigue as a positive, and as proof that you are strengthening your body. This will make it more enjoyable and less exhausting
You can optimize the physiological benefits of housework and other such things you do like hobbies simply by paying attention to the amount of energy you burn while doing it
Avoid upward comparisons and judging yourself against other people, which will lead to more negative impressions
During rest. Spend a few minutes visualizing yourself performing the exercise for the next workout or round this will increase your muscle strength and prime your brain for better performance
Ch 6 food
Ghrelin is known as the hunger hormone, as it is released to help the brain determine when it is full or hungry. In a study people were split into two groups and given the exact same milkshake. One group had the milkshake and it was labeled as indulgent and decadent, the decadence that you deserve. The other was named a Sensishake, as in a sensible shake. The box for the first group saw a label with 620 calories, 270 of which come from fat. The sensible shake said it was only 140 calories with no added sugar or fat.. the actual was 320 calories. By taking blood samples the first groups hormone levels changed as though they had eaten a hearty meal, dropping the participants hunger. For the sensible shake the levels barely changed at all from pre-post blood measurements...
Stuff about diets...
Avoid processed foods etc
Digits on taste, be mindful and describe the food in adjectives... To feel full faster focus on the heaviness and weight, nutrition and so on..
Ch. 7 DE-stressing
Try to adopt an accepting attitude to all feelings including those unpleasant
When feeling anxious consider the potential benefits. Fast breathing and a faster heart rate for instance help to transmit oxygen and glucose to the body and brain
Relabel feelings. Anxiety can feel much like excitement, for example, and remind yourself of these similarities to feel more energized
Visualize the ways anxiety could boost your performance
Regularly reinforce your knowledge of expectation effects. You can place reminders and examples from the book around your office etc
When struggling to fall asleep try to accept the feeling of breathlessness without judging it. Remind yourself that you will still be able to function the next day
Try when feeling restless, not able to sleep, or feeling anxious, get objective - deal with roots, question the assumptions behind them and set up expectations
Ch. 8 willpower
Willpower is increased with a sense of autonomy. You can reduce the sense of ego depletion even with a limited mindset, where possible make an effort to establish our own routines and regularly remind yourself of their purpose and meaning to you personally
Try to recognize instances when you personally find mental effort to be invigorating. What difficult test you enjoy doing because of their difficulty? Remind yourself of these activities to help you build up your beliefs in your potential
When you find an activity to be draining consider whether it is objectively harder than the things you find invigorating or whether it is just a preconception.
Established rituals and secular superstitions that will help you to a feeling of control in time of high pressure or help you feel lucky with positive associations
This chapter presented a number of studies on how rituals, even ones that we know are bogus or silly, once implemented actually lead to better performance in the way or similar to the placebo effect, where people can take placebo pills and still report improvements....
This chapter also presents studies on glucose in the brain. If people think that they have had a long day or a grueling task, and that that should have depleted their mental resources and willpower, then it will. Studies measured that they do indeed have lower glucose levels. However it has been shown that that is an outcome of the brain being a predictive machine. It senses, from your expectations, that's something grueling has happened and you may need to save and store glucose in order to make it to a safe place or be used in a critical situation later, that's the lower glucose. But for people who believe that they can do a grueling task after a grueling task or that a tough day is invigorating, there was no drop and glucose. The brain is a predictive machine working off of the expectations made the prediction that things are going well and stimulating, that food will be available, and thus continued to release glucose.. i.e. there was no performance drop or brain drain..
Some studies show that even the brain boosting effects of caffeine, smart drugs such as amphetamine salts, etc used to enhance concentration and focus may work through expectations of our capability independent of any biochemical effects..
Ch 9 untapped genius
Try to honestly assess your abilities in question whether you have internalized others negative expectations, or your own which may have been impressioned by others. Is there really a good reason to think you are inherently bad at something for instance? Or might you have the capacity to do well and improve
Recognize that any moment of frustration are themselves a sign of effective learning and reflect the importance of the task at hand. Simple reframing will by itself increase your performance
If you feel anxious or believe you may be suffering from stereotype threat try to practice self-affirmation. As a way of neutralizing your fears and negative expectations note the many personal characteristics or values that you hold and that matter to your identity and the reasons they are important to you. This is not the same as visualizing success in a certain topic or aspect. It is recognizing traits about yourself that are good irrespective of the issue at hand, which has been shown to improve performance and well-being on any variety of topics and issues
If you are a teacher or manager, or even a parent in my opinion, try to think about the ways your behaviors transmit expectations to others verbally and nonverbally. You may not be conscious of your body language or tone of voice and it could be helpful or hurtful.. ask an outside observer to watch your interactions or film yourself in order to improve what you are conveying
This chapter goes over the Pygmalion effect - a psychological phenomenon that describes how other’s expectations of us can become a prophecy, as they lead to improved or worsened performance.. Which came from a study named Pygmalion in the classroom.. the main Pygmalion comes from ovid's metamorphoses in which a sculptor falls in love with a statue he carved leading the gods to Grant his wishes and bring her to life. It is also paralleled in George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion in which a flower girl, which is to say someone who is only good for picking flowers and looking pretty, learns to act like a member of the aristocracy thanks to an impassioned teacher.. a variety of studies show the dramatic impact that both expressed and non-verbally or unintentionally expressed expectations can have upon someone and their performance in a variety of topics and tasks
The chapter covers the halo effect which shows that people with more symmetrical or attractive faces are immediately judged to be more intelligent and competent, they go on to get better jobs and make more money, etc though it is not necessarily tied to actual talent. Other studies show that people with deeper voices make more money
Ch 10 the super agers
Studies show that people with positive expectations of aging halved their risk of developing dementia
In a study comparing similar dipographics and backgrounds, people with a positive attitude to aging lived on for 22.6 years after the study commenced while the average person with poor perceptions of aging survived for just 15 years
Rather than idealizing youth focus on all the things you can gain from living a longer life including experience and knowledge and improved emotional regulation and decision making...
Remember things better negatively associated with aging or within your control and can be reframed to improve and live a healthier life
People with a positive view of aging recover from illness more quickly
Beware of your attention and media to not reinforce negative stereotypes of aging. Find inspirational stories or models
Befriend people outside your own age group
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