If you step into any bookshop, the self-help shelves are almost a separate department: motivational covers, uplifting quotes, promises of improvement. There is an ongoing debate about their usefulness or otherwise.
In these pages, philosopher and science communicator Nerea Blanco dismissed self-help as a “quick philosophy.” “They’re like handing out broad recipes for feeding everyone when not everyone is capable of eating the same thing,” she explained.
Another well-known philosophy communicator, José Carlos Ruiz, also railed against some of those motivational phrases that, taken out of context, can do more harm than good.
A few years earlier, British psychologist Richard Wiseman, a professor and excellent science communicator, was already puncturing the balloons of classic self-help, though not to crush hope, but to run it through the sieve of scientific evidence.
The problem with positive thinking
For decades, many gurus have repeated the same message: if you change your thoughts, you will change your life. Visualise your success, imagine your ideal self, repeat affirmations in front of the mirror. And yes, it sounds appealing. But the data don’t support it as much as we would like.
In a devastating article published in The Guardian, Wiseman cited, for example, a study from the University of California. After asking a group of students to imagine themselves achieving a top mark on an exam, the outcome was that they ended up studying less and achieving worse results.
Similarly, psychologist Gabriele Oettingen of New York University found that those who fantasised a great deal about landing their dream job ended up with fewer offers and lower salaries. Imagining only the good can relax us so much that it drains our energy to act.
That is why Oettingen proposed a technique that includes imagining the objective, but also the obstacles, and planning concrete actions. It is a way of helping you move forward with your feet on the ground. Something similar was suggested by Stephen Covey: focus on what you can control, on yourself.
Wiseman’s proposal
The alternative Wiseman offers is to change the order of elements from how self-help usually presents them: behaviour first, then emotion and thought. Here he retrieves a classic idea from philosopher and psychologist William James, who, at the end of the 19th century, argued that we do not flee from the bear because we are afraid, but we are afraid because we flee.
That is what Wiseman calls the “as-if” principle: if you behave as if you already are the person you want to be (more confident, more disciplined, happier), your mind gradually aligns with that role. He explained and practised it in a book, 59 Seconds, which became a bestseller. It proposed ideas you can apply in a minute.
There is scientific support for this stance. I’ll give you two examples: it has been shown that forcing a smile for a few seconds boosts mood, and that tensing muscles helps resist temptations, such as avoiding junk food in a café.
Acting “as if” you were younger led, in Ellen Langer’s famous experiment, to physical and cognitive improvements in older men. It makes sense: if you sit with a slouched posture, looking down, isolated from others, it is hard for your brain to believe you are at your best moment.
Ten quick exercises
“We must move from positive thinking to positive action, and you can do so with these ten quick exercises,” Wiseman asserted. These are ten mini-experiments you can apply in everyday life to help you solve problems and present yourself better. Here’s a quick summary:
- Smile for 20 seconds. As explained, a broad smile activates brain circuits associated with well-being.
- Tense your muscles. When faced with a temptation (smoking, your phone, a sweet), clench your fist, flex the arm, or grip a pen tightly. That physical gesture of “getting ready” helps you endure the pull and choose better.
- Eat with the left hand (right-handed if you’re left-handed). The “clumsy” hand forces you to slow down and pay attention. Result: you eat less and better.
- Forcing yourself for a minute. Instead of fighting the task mentally, act as if you care for at least a minute. Open the document, write the title, tackle the first problem. Often, that mini-push creates an inertia that carries you forward.
- Back straight and arms crossed. In one study, those who sat upright endured almost twice as long when facing difficult problems. Adjust your posture before you give up.
- Stand tall. Before an interview or a presentation, take a minute to roll your shoulders back and open your chest. The sense of security increases.
- Seek soft chairs. Those negotiating while seated on hard chairs were more rigid in their offers.
- Wash your hands. When guilt from an argument or mistake weighs you down, a wash or simply washing your hands can reduce that feeling.
- Nod while you listen. Increases the likelihood that both parties converge.
- Ask personal questions with tact. It’s about acting like people who are already connected: “What would you tell your ten-year-old self?”, “What would you rescue in a fire?” This boosts connection.
In recent interviews, Wiseman continues to press the same point: rather than waiting to feel prepared, act as if you are a little more prepared than yesterday. Thoughts will catch up with you along the way.
