You are probably aware of the placebo effect. In fact, most likely you have been victim of it. Perhaps it’s time to look at how it works in your day to day life. The more you know about it, the more you can be aware of it and its’ twin, nocebo.
Belief is powerful. Our beliefs have an impact on how we see and experience the world. Belief can, in many ways be a more powerful force than reality. Much research shows that people can experience miraculous healing effects from taking a sugar pill when they believed it to be a potent medicine. Our beliefs can affect what we are able to accomplish. “For those you don’t believe, no proof is possible. For those who believe, no proof is necessary.”
Your perception is your reality. How we think about something can entirely change how we react and how it affects us. Studies have shown that if people believed a wine to be expensive, they perceived it to be better. Whether it’s something as simple as enjoying wine or something much more complex like dealing with the everyday stress of life, the placebo effect teaches us that we actually choose how things in the outside world affect us. We decide based upon what we perceive, real or not.
You can get in your own way. Belief is such a powerful force that sometimes the power actually keeps us from achieving our goals. If you believe you can, you can. If you believe you can’t, you can’t. Your subconscious mind acts upon your beliefs.
Positive thinking is powerful. Countless studies have shown the beneficial results of positive thinking. A positive outlook will control stress and depression. Positive people are healthier and live longer. When you believe in a positive outcome, you are more likely to achieve your goals and have more fun in the process.
Anything is possible, when you tell yourself it is possible. Many things seem impossible until someone does it. Roger Bannister decided he would set the world record for running a mile, with the goal of a time that was under 4 minutes. He was told it wasn’t possible; that the human body was not capable of such a feat; it had never been done before. In 1954, Bannister completed a mile run in 3 minutes and 59 seconds. Within a year, more than 30 other runners also ran with similar times. Bannister changed their beliefs about what was possible.
You look outside yourself. As the placebo effect shows, we often believe something else has the power to heal us or to fix something in our life. We look outside ourselves for the solution. While help and support from others is wonderful, real motivation and inspiration comes from within. It has to matter to you or you will never make any progress.
You choose your happiness. Being happy isn’t just something that happens, it’s something you can choose. When you’re thinking about something that makes you feel bad or sad or angry, Stop IT!!! Think about something that makes you happy instead. Make the choice in the moment.
Your thoughts affect your actions. One lesson you can take away from the placebo effect is that your thoughts are just as important as your actions. Your thoughts are creating your beliefs. A belief is just a thought you have over and over. After all, in placebo studies, doing a meaningless task (taking a sugar pill) affects something because of a particular line of thinking. Think before you act.
What do you do now? Know that you are creating your world. One thought at a time. One belief at a time. One action at a time. Be aware when you swallow that pill. What do you think it will do?