The Lifestyle Chronicles - Exactly

A paper appearing in the current issue of the journal Social Cognition reports on a study that confirms self-fulfilling prophecy. The study focuses on how negative information concerning old age can detract from performance. Lower performance on memory tests result from being told of inclusion with an older group and being reminded of the link between age and mental decline.

There are examples of this influence upon issues other than age. Women performed less well on math exams after reading that men tend to perform better on them. White men perform less well when they are told they are competing in math against Asian students.

Now, consider the effect on the population of the country when they are told everyday in numerous ways that they are sick. Don't overlook that a massive sick care system is marketing itself at all times. The current health care system in America is the result of sickness as national health policy.

Everyone would benefit from a culture that promotes optimum health status. People do what they think about and they think about the information that is consistently directed at them. The body follows the mind and both are capable of remarkable achievements. The four minute mile was a formidable barrier in the mind more than the body until Roger Bannister did it.

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