Fake It Till You Make It: 5 Cheats from Neuroscience

The catchy phrase Fake It Till You Make It is “an English aphorism which suggests that by imitating confidence, competence, and an optimistic mindset, a person can realize those qualities in their real life.”1
Like most cliches or slogans, there’s more than a grain of truth in this one. Luminaries, as diverse as William James and Alfred Adler — not to mention New Thought philosophers like Rhonda Byrne — have expressed their own variations of this oft-quoted expression.
When it comes to exploring this principle, I prefer the tricks and perspectives learned from rigorous studies in neuroscience to flesh out the truth. No one is an advocate of hypocrisy, fake news, or blatant self-deception. But in some cases, a few psychological “white lies” (to oneself or others) can accomplish a miraculous change in mood or behavior. In other words, enlightened deception can lead to higher truths and realistic goals.
Listed below are a few of the cheats that are considered ethical and useful for scoring high in self-improvement. Keep in mind that these short-cuts are designed to trick our brains to produce real-life changes, often on a temporary basis. For the most part, they are not meant to hoodwink others2 or to mislead our contemporaries.3
Force a smile: As the saying goes, “Smile if you don’t want to sing flat.” There’s a kind of circular wiring in the brain. Because of embodied cognition, the physical state of one’s body can impact one’s emotions.4 Fa...

Source: World of Psychology - June 25, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: John DiPrete Tags: Brain and Behavior Habits Motivation and Inspiration Self-Help Body Language smiling Source Type: blogs