What Powerful Lesson Can Gabby Thomas Teach Ordinary People?
The Science Behind Mind Over Matter: How It Actually Works
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Outsmart the Learning Curve is about how ordinary people can achieve extraordinary success. Gabby Thomas is pretty much the opposite of an ordinary person. She has multiple Olympic gold medals, a Harvard degree, and spokesmodel-like poise and beauty. She is an extraordinary human being.
One technique she uses to propel her success is visualization. In an interview with the Guardian a month before the Paris Olympics, Thomas describes what she does.
Part of my warm-up routine in every race is just visualizing success. But I also do it the night before. I’m seeing everything. I’m imagining who is lined up against me, everything from start to finish, and even how I’m going to celebrate at the end. Essentially, if you think about it enough and the mind starts believing it’s true, then the body does as well. The mind is really powerful. It’s insane how you can trick your brain into doing things and how your body follows.
The kind of visualization Gabby Thomas uses falls under the broader category of self-improvement tools I’ll call “mind over matter.” These techniques can be used by nearly anyone, and are so commonplace, they feel mundane. But if you think about it, the idea of using only brain power to change a physical outcome is truly astonishing.
Mind Over Matter Techniques Supported by Science
Over centuries of evolution, humans have cultivated a wide range of mind over matter techniques. Of course, various forms of meditation have been around for a long time. Here are a few of the better known techniques that various formal studies have shown to improve physical performance, alter health outcomes, and even boost career achievements:
Visualization. My father used visualization back in the early 80’s to fight his cancer diagnosis. I remember thinking it was voodoo at the time, but he did live beyond the grim 3 to 5-year life expectancy doctors gave him. Multiple studies demonstrate that visualization can also be applied to various sports, from weightlifting to golf putting to free throw shooting. In addition, visualization has been shown to improve an incredible variety of health outcomes including pain management, wound healing, and fibromyalgia.
Meditation. Former Michigan football star J.J. McCarthy meditates before every game. He started the practice after battling depression, but continues because he finds it “centering,” clearing his mind and enabling focus on the present. Studies show regular meditation practice is linked to reduced stress, improved focus, and better emotional regulation even for non-experienced meditators. In terms of physical health, meditation practice can lower blood pressure as well as improve immune function.
Growth Mindset. Simply reorienting thinking from “this is how I am” to “I can grow and learn” has been studied mostly around school-age children. Research indicates that this simple shift in the way students think can improve academic achievement among lower-achieving students. Applying a growth mindset in work environments has also proven effective in improving both organizational development and leadership.
Self-Talk. Watching the Olympics, I saw many athletes with words on their lips before their big event—there’s some prayer for sure, but likely a lot of positive self-talk too. And for good reason. Multiple studies suggest the idea that filling your brain with positive statements before an athletic event can improve performance. In addition, positive self-talk can help with non-athletic activities including leadership.
Placebo Effect. The placebo effect is perhaps the most tested mind over matter technique we’ve come across. Nearly every medical study with a control group shows that a placebo works better than no treatment and often as well as actual medical interventions. When drugs fail in trials because they were “no better than a placebo,” it seems everyone forgets that the placebo, meaning your brain alone, is doing something amazing!
Look for a future newsletter on harnessing the placebo effect for self-improvement.
So these mind over matter techniques have been shown to increase performance for a broad range of activities and for ordinary people along with extraordinary ones. But how?
Beyond Belief: The Mechanisms of Mind Over Matter
When I was a kid, I watched a mysterious man named Uri Geller use only his mind to bend steel. I remember watching The Merv Griffin Show and being astonished that, by just thinking hard enough, Geller could make a metal spoon droopy and even fix long-broken watches. I ran to our silverware drawer and tried to bend one of our spoons myself and failed.
Of course this was magic.
While mind over matter techniques like visualization and meditation sound almost Uri Geller-like, they aren’t magic. Countless researchers and scientists cannot be fooled like a nine-year-old boy stuck at home watching daytime TV. But if using your mind to change physical bodily functions and health outcomes isn’t magic, what’s the underlying mechanism?
While not 100% settled science, researchers have made significant progress in understanding some of the underlying processes. Here's an overview of what we currently know:
Neuroplasticity. One key concept in understanding how mind-over-matter techniques work is neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. Techniques like visualization, meditation and having a growth mindset help create new neural pathways, essentially "rewiring" the brain to support new behaviors or thought patterns. Meditation has even been associated with increased gray matter density in areas associated with learning, memory, and emotional regulation.
Epigenetic Changes. While your DNA is fixed from birth, which genes are active can change during your life. This is the study of epigenetics. Early research suggests that mind over matter practices may lead to epigenetic changes, potentially altering which genes are active or suppressed.
Brain Chemical Regulation. Some studies suggest that positive thinking and visualization can influence the release of brain chemicals or neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. These chemicals play crucial roles in mood regulation and pain perception.
Stress Reduction. Many of these techniques have been shown to reduce stress. Lower stress levels can lead to bodily effects like decreased inflammation and improved immune function which lead to better overall health outcomes.
Pain Perception. Techniques like visualization, meditation and the placebo effect can alter pain perception by changing how the brain processes pain signals. This doesn't necessarily change the source of the pain but can affect how it's experienced.
Your Brain Is Your Body
Bottom line, your mind is your brain, and your brain is part of your body. Just like exercising arms and legs can make physical changes to muscles and bones, exercising your brain can make physical changes to it, which in turn can produce magical results in athletic performance, health, and well-being.
From Olympic athletes to people battling illness to everyday people just trying to get better, the power of using brain techniques can be truly extraordinary. But it's not about bending spoons—it's about bending our own limitations. What mental, physical or career barriers are you ready to overcome? Share your thoughts, techniques, and skepticism in the comments below.
