Developing a Mindset of Indulgence Provides Unexpected Health Benefits

Psychological beliefs profoundly impact the way our bodies respond to diet, exercise, & medication.

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Letting go of our sense of self can significantly improve our lives by reducing mental suffering, boosting productivity, and providing experiences of awe. But do mindsets also have the power to make us healtheir?

Our mindsets affect our perceptions of reality and are influenced by our upbringing, cultural values, and environments. Marketing, advertising, and health influencers shape our attitudes towards foods, exercise plans, and lifestyle practices.

In fact, many of our mindsets are simply the result of mimetic desire, meaning we imitate what others want. We desire what is socially desirable. Mimetic desire describes how social influences like parents, peers, teachers, media, and society impact nearly all our decisions from our career aspirations to the partners we choose.

Dr. Alia Crum, Professor of Psychology at Stanford, studies how mindsets affect health and physical performance. She defines mindsets as core beliefs or assumptions about a domain. Whether we think stress is enhancing or debilitating influences the outcomes that follow. Whether we believe the nature of intelligence…