I'm obsessed with expectency effects and epigenetics. A brief summary for you using examples.
Researchers were given two sets of random rats from the same breeder and told one group was smarter and better at mazes. The researchers, after conducting studies, PROVED that that group was smarter. This is expectancy effects. We look for evidence of a thing we believe to be true and prove it somehow.
There are a couple thoughts on why this works. False or inflated reporting of evidence in support of the belief and/or subconcious influence on the part of the researchers leading to legitimately better results. I think both play a part, but I am mainly in the latter camp. I genuinely think that if you believe someone or something to be a certain way, then you will influence them subconsciously to meet that expectation.
For instance, if you believe kids are hard to deal with, kids are going to pick up on that and not be easy to deal with with you. You're going to find lots of evidence to support that they're hard to deal with.
Epigenetics is a whole field studying non visible genetically inherited traits. Epigenetic studies in mice found that it took FIVE generations for mice to stop responding negatively to a stimulus that only the first generation actually experienced. One very, very important thing to realize about epigenetics, though, is on the literal google search page for the word. "Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible."
So not only is your body/brain likely responding to stimulus from like 1870 to now subconciously (because of the way it reads it's own DNA,) but ALSO everything you believe to be true is more likely to be due to expectancy effects! And when you learn and believe that whatever negative triggers and responses come up for you are reversible, you will prove it.
Isn't that beautiful? The mutability of the mind and body?
Isn't it beautiful to believe that we are not stuck in one way of thinking and reacting to the world no matter how ingrained by time?
You're going to do great.
I believe in you!
