Status Updates From The Expectation Effect: How...

“We Can Control our Mind & Behavior for Only so long before we begin to Tire”

“There is only so much Quality Thinking your Brain can do Each Day”

Making decisions, avoiding distraction, or resisting temptation—draws on the Brain’s stores of Glucose.
•When we wake up in the morning, we have that vital Fuel in Abundance, But it Dwindles every time we exercise our Mind
- This is why after a Long Day, we lose the Mental strength required to resist the temptation of the cookie jar

“We DONT need to “Enjoy” such feelings—but recognizing their “Potential Value” will Allow us to Channel them More Effectively, and recover more quickly once they’ve served their Purpose.

- By Accepting the “Good with the Bad” we can begin to resolve the paradox of happiness

“The Harder we try to “Be Happy,” the Less Happy We Are”
Iris Mauss-Psychologist at the Univ of Cal Berkley
(Happiness Experiment)169-170

•”They focused so much on how they “Should Feel” that they were ultimately dissatisfied when the clip didn’t bring the Joy they’d expected.”(29)
•”heightened sense of Self Consciousness makes it hard to Fully appreciate small, spontaneous pleasure

Rationally Question your Assumptions about Anxiety:
• ”The aim is to Change your Interpretation of Anxiety Rather than Suppressing the feeling itself”
- That’s a vital Distinction, since attempts to Avoid or Ignore our Feelings often Reinforce Uncomfortable emotions and add to their Stigma

*Why, after all would you Avoid a feeling if it could be Good for you?

“The Stress Response, instead of becoming this thing to be Avoided, actually becomes a Resource!”
-When faced with a Difficult challenge, people who see Stress as “Enhancing” tend to Focus More on the Positive Elements of a scene (eg. smiling faces in a crowded room)

Rather than dwelling on signs of “threat or hostility”

•”If you see your Anxiety as “Debilitating and Performance Reducing”, you Reinforce the “Expectation” that you are at a Disadvantage and will Fail—and the Brain Responds by preparing you for “Danger/Possible Injury.”
•”If you see your Anxiety as a Sign of Energy for an Important and Potentially Rewarding Event, you ReAffirm the idea that you have EVERYTHING YOU NEED to THRIVE!

Jamieson’s Experiment:
-Half were provided with the following:
•”Recent research suggests that Arousal Doesn’t Hurt performance on these test and can even Help Performance!”
•”people who feel Anxious during a test might actually Do Better!
•”If you feel yourself getting anxious, remind yourself that your Arousal could be Helping you Do Well!
Results:
Reframe Score=770
Control Score=706

Jamieson Suspected:
They “Appraised” the Events Differently
•Sports Field:
- athletes interpreted their jangling nerves as a sign of Energy
•Exam Hall:
-same sensations were seen as a sign of “impending failure”

Jeremey Jamieson, Psychologist from Univ of Rochester New York (former Student Athlete)

•“He noticed that some teammates would get “pumped and excited” for a game, but “freak out” before an exam”
-Both “high stakes situations”—so why was the potential Stress if the situation so Helpful in one context, but Detrimental in another?

Time Magazine 1983: Anxiety

“The saber toothed tiger is long gone, but the Modern Jungle is no less perilous. The sense of panic over a Deadline, a Tight plane Connection, a Reckless Driver on our tail… Our Mode of life itself, the way we Live, is Emerging as Today’s principal cause of illness”

“As early as 1872 the “British Medical Journal” noted that the “strained and hurried excitement of these times” was exhausting people’s nervous energy, leading to mental and physical breakdowns and even a rise in heart disease.”

- The journal advocated a form of mental “hygiene” that involved stripping unnecessary stress from its readers’ lives. (1)

When Dieting

•Pay attention to:
-Flavor, Texture, and Presentation
-Anything that will Heighten your Enjoyment of the Food and leave you feeling more Satisfied afterward

•Enjoy the Anticipation:
-This will help “Prime your Digestive Response”
-It will help you feel More Satisfied Afterward

•“Be Aware of Food Descriptions that create a sense of “Deprivation.”
•”Even if you are looking for Low-Calorie meals, try to find Products that Evoke a Feeling of “Indulgence!”