The Power of Mindset
By Dr. Sophia Mun
If there were a simple way to improve your academic performance, would you try it? If there were an easy way to help you live longer and more healthily, would you be willing to do it? If you said “Yes!” to either of the questions, you might want to read through this article.
Intro
When I studied gerontology a few years ago, there were some research findings that caught my attention. Wait, what? Gerontology? Geology? Geography? Okay—you might have not heard about gerontology. Gerontology is the scientific study of old age, the process of aging, and the particular problems of older adults. Let’s talk more about this in the next blog. Anyway, one fascinating study found that aging self-stereotypes (older individuals’ beliefs about older people) could influence longevity. The study showed that older individuals with more positive self-perceptions of aging lived 7.5 years longer than those with less positive self-perception of aging (Levy et al., 2002). There are more: positive age beliefs protected against dementia (Levy et al., 2018), and negative age beliefs predicted a greater cardiovascular response to stress and worse health behaviors (Levyet al., 2000; Levy & Myers, 2004). Overall, these studies suggest that living with positive thoughts about aging could improve our psychological and physical health. Amazing, right?
What is a mindset?
How can beliefs about ourselves help us be healthier and live longer? This is closely tied to the concept of the mindset. Mindsets are beliefs we hold about ourselves and our most basic qualities, such as personality or talent (Dweck, 2019). It is also a way of thinking about the world. In other words, it is a lens or frame of mind we use to understand ourselves and the world. Scientific research has gathered massive evidence about the power of mindset. Here is a study you would be very interested in. Blackwell et al.(2007) found that the belief that intelligence is malleable (growth mindset) predicted an upward trajectory in grades over two years of junior high school, while a belief that intelligence is fixed (fixed mindset) predicted a flat trajectory. Beliefs about ourselves can increase academic performance, too!
What science says
Science says mindset plays a significant role in determining our well-being and achievements because mindsets are responsible for our behavioral, physiological, and psychological responses (Crumetal.,2017). Mindsets influence what we pay attention to, what we’re motivated to do, how we feel and expect to feel, and what our bodies are prepared to do. And we make decisions every day by our responses.
What the Bible says
The Bible is clear about the power of our minds and beliefs. The Bible says our minds are powerful. Our thoughts and beliefs shape who we are and will become, and our faith decides what we will do in our lives. Mark 9:23 “’If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’” Matthew 9:22, “Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well.” Matthew 9:29, “Then he touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith be it done to you.’” In the Bible, belief is a golden key to make things work including miracles.
The power of mind (faith) in an uncertain world
Do you want to prosper in this uncertain world? What you experience today is product of your mindset; what you experience in the future depends on your mindset today. The only thing you have to do is to choose to have a positive mindset. God gave us free will to choose. Science has done great work to explain the power of belief, but there is still a long way to go. It may not give us the whole picture of the power of mindset, but I like leaving some mysteries unsolved—that is what faith is about. What we believe matters.
Changeyour mindset.
Renew your mind (Romans 12:2).
References
Blackwell, L. S., Trzesniewski, K. H., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: a longitudinal study and an intervention.Child development,78(1), 246–263. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.00995.x
Crum, A. J., Leibowitz, K. A., & Verghese, A. (2017). Making mindset matter.Bmj,356, j674.https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j674Dweck, C. S. (2019). The Choice to Make a Difference. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(1), 21–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618804180
Levy, B. R., Slade, M. D., Kunkel, S. R., & Kasl, S. V. (2002). Longevity increased by positive self-perceptions of aging.Journal of personality and social psychology,83(2), 261–270. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.83.2.261
Levy, B. R., Slade, M. D., Pietrzak, R. H., & Ferrucci, L. (2018). Positive age beliefs protect against dementia even among elders with high-risk gene.PloS one,13(2), e0191004. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191004
Levy, B. R., Hausdorff, J. M., Hencke, R., & Wei, J. Y. (2000). Reducing cardiovascular stress with positive self-stereotypes of aging.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences,55(4), P205–P213. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/55.4.p205
Levy, B. R., & Myers, L. M. (2004). Preventive health behaviors influenced by self-perceptions of aging.Preventive medicine,39(3), 625–629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.02.029
12 Comments
I have read about mindsets and know how much they can affect a person’s academic performance. However, this was my first time finding out that they can affect how long a person lives. Just like you pointed out, mindset is a belief about one’s self or the world. What I believe about myself affects my mood and my performance. For this reason, I always try to keep a positive mindset. I really like how you not only showed scientific evidence but also Biblical evidence. I enjoyed reading the post.
Hey Dr. Mun!
It was interesting to read your post on mindsets and how much a mindset can affect us in our daily lives, especially with their academic performance. I loved how you incorporated about how our faith can affect our mindset because we are given free will by God. I love that you referenced the Bible about what it says regarding our minds and how our faith decides what we do in our lives. I’ve never heard of Gerontology either so it was interesting to read about that. It is crazy to think about how our mindset can change our view of our life and our views and that we should try to remain positive no matter what happens. Thank you for posting this blog!
Hello Dr. Mun! I loved your post. I’m currently taking my capstone course and it has really emphasized on the different mind sets and ways we can change our thought processes. I found your introduction extremely interesting because a family member of mine is struggling with Alzheimer’s and I believe the citations you included would be very beneficial for her to know. This blog post also benefits me as individual because it influences me to work harder at creating a more positive mindset in life. My goal in life is to be undeniably happy with who I am and where I am, and this all starts with my mind. Thank you for a great post! (:
Hi Dr. Mun! It is so interesting to me how much of an impact mindset can have on a person. I do not know much about gerontology, so it was interesting to read about in your post. I had not thought about how beliefs on aging can impact a person. I had no idea that having a negative belief towards aging can actually shorten a person’s lifespan. It has made me realize how essential it is to have a positive mindset in life. I have recently learned about the growth mindset and it is amazing to me how this type of mindset can open people up to more opportunities because they do not limit themselves. It is amazing how our beliefs regarding our own abilities can actually impact those abilities. Thank you for posting this!
Hello, Dr. Mun,
The power of mindset is incredible!! As I have been learning in my capstone class along with other finals classes before I graduate I’ve learned how to cope and apply my attitude for the best outcome. You can either learn and get back up or let it bring you down. I loved your mentions about the studies that suggested positivity could improve our physical and psychological health, it makes sense and is so encouraging! The incorporation of faith-based content was a great addition and we see all this talk about how to act or what to believe when it comes to mindset but what better way to understand it than from the bible. Matthew 9:22 really stuck out to me as it states everything is possible for one who believes. We must believe in ourselves but also in god to guide us and trust in his plan for us!! Thank you, Dr. Mun!
Hello Professor Mun
I enjoyed reading your blog. I took the first series of BEH with you in Fall 2020 online and loved taking a course with you. It was interesting reading our post on midset and how much it can affect us in our daily lives and most definitely with academic performance. I enjoyed how you summed up the importance of mindset and stated how our future decisions and our future selves depend on the mindset we have now. The bible does give us the closest thing we have to an instruction manual on how to live life, and it’s amazing to see how reading the bible and the integration of faith can really change our mindsets and provide GRIT as well.
Hi Dr. Nun,
I enjoyed reading this article and found it extremely interesting to learn about how impactful our mindset is. Our mindset is essential to developing healthy self-esteem and reinforces our beliefs and attitudes. I don’t think we genuinely take the time to acknowledge the Importance of a proper mindset. As you stated from Crumental, our mindset is responsible for behavioral, physiological, and psychological responses. I enjoyed reading the connection between what the Bible says about minds and how the Bible thinks minds are influential. The Bible continues to challenge our minds and how we feel as we read the Bible. The Importance of the mind is shown in Philippians, which says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). What I found most interesting while reading this article was how you include Gerontology and the studies within aging self-stereotypes. It is interesting to learn about how those with a positive self-perception of aging are known to live longer than those with a less positive self-perception of aging. I always found It interesting how our mindset alone and thoughts could affect our psychological and physical health.
Hi Dr. Mun,
I enjoyed reading this article and found it extremely interesting to learn about how impactful our mindset is. Our mindset is essential to developing healthy self-esteem and reinforces our beliefs and attitudes. I don’t think we genuinely take the time to acknowledge the Importance of a proper mindset. As you stated from Crumental, our mindset is responsible for behavioral, physiological, and psychological responses. I enjoyed reading the connection between what the Bible says about minds and how the Bible thinks minds are influential. The Bible continues to challenge our minds and how we feel as we read the Bible. The Importance of the mind is shown in Philippians, which says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). What I found most interesting while reading this article was how you include Gerontology and the studies within aging self-stereotypes. It is interesting to learn about how those with a positive self-perception of aging are known to live longer than those with a less positive self-perception of aging. I always found It interesting how our mindset alone and thoughts could affect our psychological and physical health.
Hi Dr. Mun,
I enjoyed reading this article and found it extremely interesting to learn about how impactful our mindset is. Our mindset is essential to developing healthy self-esteem and reinforces our beliefs and attitudes. I don’t think we genuinely take the time to acknowledge the Importance of a proper mindset. As you stated from Crumental, our mindset is responsible for behavioral, physiological, and psychological responses. I enjoyed reading the connection between what the Bible says about minds and how the Bible thinks minds are influential. The Bible continues to challenge our minds and how we feel as we read the Bible. The Importance of the mind is shown in Philippians, which says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). What I found most interesting while reading this article was how you include Gerontology and the studies within aging self-stereotypes. It is interesting to learn about how those with a positive self-perception of aging are known to live longer than those with a less positive self-perception of aging. I always found It interesting how our mindset alone and thoughts could affect our psychological and physical health.
Hello Dr. Mun! I loved reading your blog post about mindset. The topic was specifically intriguing to me because I happen to have a negative view on aging. I fear it and all that comes with it. It is crazy to me that a positive mindset about aging can actually help me in the long run. Mindset is so important, and I have been learning that especially this semester as I have learned about the growth versus fixed mindset concept introduced by Carol Dweck. This topic is so important and not talked about enough.
Hello Dr. Mun,
I found your post on mindset very interesting as it parallels many classes I have taken but specifically with my capstone class. We have discussed how different mindsets in different situations can alter the outcome of each situation but in your post, I really enjoyed learning another point of view. I never really thought of how you can stereotype yourself (in older age specifically) and it will most likely have an impact on how long you live onwards. Keeping this in the back of my mind as I get older, thank you for your insight.
Hello, Dr. Mun,
I have read and learned about how mindset not only effects academic performances, but also everything else we do in our daily life’s and can also affect our mental and physical health. So, I do like how you bring up these effects on our mindset belief and faith. I also found it interesting how you also mention the scientific and biblical evidence.