Our minds are incredibly powerful. Research has shown that techniques like visualisation can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, having physical impacts on our heart rate and blood pressure. The placebo effect is another well-documented example of belief in the mind influencing the body.
It’s only natural to wonder: can we harness this power of the mind to influence the trajectory of our lives?
There are many takes on this question, some gaining more traction than others in popular culture. Consider the Law of Attraction, or the more recent ‘Lucky-girl Syndrome’ on social media. Both suggest that what a person believes is what a person receives: positive thoughts bring positive experiences; believing you’re lucky makes you lucky. These theories beg the question: Is confirmation bias the real factor at play here?
Confirmation bias has long been recognised in psychology and philosophy as a strong and pervasive part of human reasoning. In 1620, Francis Bacon wrote:
“The human understanding when it has once adopted an opinion (either as being the received opinion or as being agreeable to itself) draws all things else to support and agree with it.”
When we believe something, we automatically notice and process the things that confirm it, and filter out the things that don’t. This can have an interesting impact when it comes to setting goals, or ‘manifesting’ life events.
What happens when we expect an outcome?
1. Selective Attention/Recall
We typically increase attention to cues that signal the desired outcome, remembering hits and forgetting misses
2. Motivated Behaviour Changes
Our mind wants to prove us right. The motivation to arrive at a particular conclusion instigates subtle behavioural changes that make us more likely to reach an outcome. Think: more asking, more risk-taking.
This can work in both helpful and unhelpful ways. If we believe and expect to have a bad day, we will notice and fixate on the signs that prove us right.
In Positive Intelligence, the Victim saboteur often focuses on negative thoughts and feelings, reinforcing the belief that terrible things always happen, and emotions are overwhelming and inescapable. When this is what we believe, this is what we notice. And ultimately, what we notice is what we live and experience. It’s the same cycle of selective attention and behavioural changes.
The solution requires two things:
1. Identifying the confirmation bias by intentionally recalling the cues that prove us wrong.
Example:
I expected to have a bad day, and I had a bad day.
You will automatically remember all evidence that suggests the day was bad. Prompt yourself to think back and acknowledge all of the good or neutral things that happened.
2. Intentionally build a new belief by collecting evidence to support something you want to be true.
Example:
I can influence how I feel
The Victim Saboteur makes you feel overpowered by negative emotions. But there will be people, places and activities in your life that bring you joy or calm. Engage with those things and pay attention to any positive or neutral thoughts or feelings that come, to build your belief and expectation that you can improve how you feel.
Being aware of our biases can help us unravel the selective way in which we interpret the world. It can allow us to take a step back and look at what is really happening, intentionally noticing the evidence on both sides.
Alternatively, we can allow our mind to run with the bias, embracing the tendency to notice things that support our beliefs or goals. By setting an intention for the day, we can direct our minds towards noticing opportunities, interpreting events that support our aim and adapting behaviour accordingly. In this way, confirmation bias can subtly steer us towards outcomes we are focused on, allowing us to work in harmony with our brain’s natural patterns.
This, of course, is simple one person’s theory. What are your thoughts?