I’ve been telling you for years that our beliefs determine our behavior and the only way to permanently change our behavior is to eliminate limiting beliefs. An article in Time (“The Optimism Bias,” June 6, pp 40-46) describes an experiment that demonstrates this point and shows the profound impact of beliefs and expectations on our behavior.
The problem with pessimistic expectations … is that they have the power to alter the future: negative expectations shape outcomes in a negative way. How do expectations change reality?
To answer this question, my colleague, cognitive neuroscientist Sara Bentsson, devised an experiment in which she manipulated positive and negative expectations of students while their brains were scanned and tested their performance on cognitive tasks.
To induce expectations of success, she primed college students with words such as smart, intelligent and clever just before asking them to perform a test. To induce expectations of failure, she primed them with words like stupid and ignorant. The students performed better after being primed with an affirmative message.
Examining the brain-imaging data, Bengtsson found that the students’ brains responded differently to the mistakes they made depending on whether they were primed with the word clever or the word stupid. When the mistake followed positive words, she observed enhanced activity in the anterior medial part of the prefrontal cortex (a region that is involved in self-reflection and recollection). However, when the participants were primed with the word stupid, there was no heightened activity after a wrong answer. It appears that after being primed with the word stupid, the brain expected to do poorly and did not show signs of surprise or conflict when it made an error.
A brain that doesn’t expect good results lacks a signal telling it, “Take notice—wrong answer!” These brains will fail to learn from their mistakes and are less likely to improve over time. Expectations become self-fulfilling by altering our performance and actions, which ultimately affects what happens in the future. (Emphasis added.)
If merely saying or hearing words like stupid and ignorant can produce a measurable negative change in someone’s behavior, imagine what impact beliefs like, Mistakes and failure are bad, I’m not good enough and I’m powerless will have on our behavior.
Positive and negative expectations can be formed solely by beliefs; they also can be formed by conditioning. For example, if you don’t do well at something a number of times, in addition to forming negative beliefs you also can get conditioned to “expect” to not do well in the future.
The implications for parenting
Moreover, this and other similar studies should be additional evidence for parents to realize that their most important job is helping their children to form positive beliefs about themselves, people, and life. (The parenting course created by my wife, Shelly, is the only one I know of that teaches parents how to do precisely that. For information about that course, go to http://www.parentingthelefkoeway.com.)
What do you think about how our beliefs affect our behavior? I’d love to read your comments and questions.
If you haven’t yet eliminated at least one of your limiting self-esteem beliefs using the Lefkoe Belief Process, go to http://www.recreateyourlife.com/free where you can eliminate one negative belief free.
For information about eliminating 23 of the most common limiting beliefs and conditionings, which cause eight of the most common problems in our lives, and get a separate video of the WAIR? Process, please check out: http://recreateyourlife.com/naturalconfidence.
These weekly blog posts also exist as podcasts. Sign up for the RSS feed or at iTunes to get the podcasts sent to you weekly.
Copyright © 2011 Morty Lefkoe
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[…] As expected the students who were primed with positive words performed better than those who were primed with negative words about their performance. Also, after conducting brain imaging while simultaneously reviewing wrong answers, those who were primed with negative words did not exhibit any brain activity as opposed to the positive prime subjects. This indicated that subjects negatively primed expected to do poorly, and were therefore unaffected by a wrong answer. You can read more about this HERE. […]
Beliefs are tricky mechanisms and quite fascinating when you begin to unpack them and examine how they work. I know of someone
who already offers an amazing audio course on how to find & change
one’s own limiting belief… it’s called Belief Craft; I know the
trainers and went to a live event in Atlanta a couple of years ago to a the course on which part of this audio is based. The material is great — and you can find it at:
http://www.altfeld.com/store/cart.php?target=product&product_id=261&category_id=65
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the suggestion. I am a little familiar with NLP and it seems that our belief-elimination program (according to a lot of clients) is a lot more effective.
If you haven’t already eliminated one belief using our program (free), check it out at http://recreateyourlife.com.
Love,Morty
Great post. Time magazine, huh? Nice to see the mainstream press finally coming around and getting the word out.
Hey Morty,
I know that beliefs affect behavior but how do we find out what the negative belief is.
Usually an event triggers the thought that triggers the emotion. We can even see what caused us to feel a certain way. How do we get to the core limiting belief?
Hi Justin,
Eventually we will offer a course teaching you how to do it In the meantime, you can get some tips from a recent blog post: https://www.mortylefkoe.com/find-beliefs-underlying/.
Love, Morty
I love playing the piano. It’s my favorite hobby in the world, and when I play a beautiful song, I’m joyful. That joy always propels me forward to get better and better at playing. BUT – every single time a cousin, friend or sibling of mine has tried to play the piano (sometimes they ask me to teach them), the first thing that comes out of their mouths is “I don’t know how you do it, it’s SO difficult! I can TRY, but I don’t think I’ll get it right… let’s see how I do…”. Guess how they do.
This post perfectly illustrates what’s going on in our minds when we sit at the piano. And this is merely one of countless examples where this applies in everyday life. Good to be aware.
Alex,
This reminds me of when I was learning the Occurring Process last year. After several weeks of practice using Morty’s techniques, it clicked. I also recall an anecdote. A violinist performed at a concert. Afterwards, a woman from the audience came up to him. “I’d give my life to play like that,” she said.
“Madam, I did.”
Love and Light,
Lauren
Morty,
This really adds weight to what you are accomplishing through your belief elimination and occurring course programs. What I’ve esp. found to be the difference between the LBP, LOP and other programs for improving one’s life is the step-by-step technique involved.
The author says, “A brain that doesn’t expect good results lacks a signal telling it, ‘Take notice—wrong answer!’ These brains will fail to learn from their mistakes and are less likely to improve over time.” So the LBP , in effect, says, “Yes, you can eliminate that belief; it isn’t a life sentence.” This is the question I have: What makes one person who grew up hearing those beliefs and acquiring the conditionings want to change and make their life better and the person who heard similar things and uses it as an excuse for staying the same?
I am looking forward to more support for your programs; that studies into how the brain reacts according to the beliefs and conditionings involved is reason to continue the research further.
Love and Light,
Lauren
How about for us parents who got it wrong? I’ve got teen daughters and would love to give them the gift of unburdening them from negative beliefs. What age is old enough to use TLM? Is there a “right” way to present it to them (don’t want it to be dad telling them there us something wrong with them). Thanks!
Allan,
I can relate to that. But in my daughter’s case (she’s 23 now) it was the 8 or 9 years she lived with her mother and a stepfather who never missed a chance to tell her how stupid she is that did the damage. I just wish I had been better at helping her change her beliefs on the weekends we had and in the years after she came to live with me at 12 years old. I was probably too focused on my own problems back then.
Owen
Hi Allan,
We’ve had sessions with teens as young as 13-14.
If teens are aware of issues in their lives and really want to handle them, they can be told about TLM. They might be able to use the Natural Confidence program on their own, although younger teens should probably have one session with a facilitator, after which they understand the process and can do it n their own with a DVD if they are sufficiently motivated
I’d be happy to talk to them and answer any questions they might have. (415) 506-4472.
Love, Morty
Hi Morty,
Thanks for the blog posting. I have a question regarding negative belief, how powerful do they compare with positive beliefs? If we focus on positive affirmations, will negative behaviors diminish eventually?
Hi Elle,
It is my experience that focusing on positive affirmations will not eliminate negative beliefs or the negative behaviors they cause.
Thanks for your interest in our work.
Love, Morty
Hey,
This will also mean I presume that people who believe that thery will fail will not look for alternative solutions or be more creative. The loop so to speak is closed we have rached the expected end, why bother to find alternatives? The energy is gone as well, there is no tension to look for something else.
That may also be the reason why companies that are in trouble can have difficulty to manage themselves out of their troubles or find the innovation that will take the market by storm; management has already said that they will close down, so why bother? There is an Arian idiom that says:”You repair the roof in the summer!” When the going is good work hard to make it better.
Having neuroscience demonstrably prove what has long been suspected is very comforting and motivates one to begin to finds ways to seriously change one’s beliefs. Neuroscience is the “smoking gun” in psychology.
Riley
Thank you for this insightful research, I work with children, young people and families who are struggling with being constructive and this helps to reinforce the importance of adult influence and optimism.
Another great article and sharing as usual. I totally agree that parents should be aware and mindful about what kind of parenting, conditioning and words they use on their children that would impact their self belief and mindset.