The science of mindset

Belief Effect

I’ve always believed that running keeps me fit, while walking is just a lighter substitute. So when I had to trade my runs for long walks, a surprising question arose: What if my body responded differently than I thought?

A month back, I got a toenail injury and had to take a break from running. On my path to recovery, I switched to walking. I didn’t believe it would have the same benefits—at least not to the same extent as running. But with a “something is better than nothing” attitude, I did it anyway.

I’m fortunate to live near a park with towering green trees and sprawling lawns. Just a few days into this new habit, my mindset toward walking began to shift. I looked forward to the gentle rhythm of my steps, which left me enough space to notice the clear blue sky peeking through the branches. I could smell the flowers along the path. I got to meet the occasional puppy bounding about on its own walk. And when I passed through a tree-lined path where branches arched inward to form a canopy, I felt as though nature itself was embracing me.

Sure, my calves and hamstrings weren’t being challenged like they are with running. But my mind was clearly receiving an extra dose of stress-free hormones. Then came a surprise: my bathroom scale agreed. My body weight hadn’t increased.

That got me thinking:

Is walking actually as good as running when it comes to maintaining body weight?

Or did my belief make it so? 🤔

The Harvard study that made me pause

This question led me to a fascinating Harvard study. Researchers looked at a group of hotel room attendants. Half were told that their daily work of cleaning, scrubbing, and moving counted as significant exercise. The other half were told nothing. Four weeks later, without changing their actual workload, the first group showed measurable improvements in blood pressure, weight, and body-fat percentage!

Think about that: their bodies responded as if they had started exercising only because they believed they were.

Our mindset doesn’t just influence how motivated we feel. It can actually shape our body’s physiological response.

The same with food

Another striking example comes from nutrition research. In one study, participants were given the same milkshake.

Half were told it was a high-calorie treat. The others were told it was a low-calorie, “diet” shake.

The “indulgent” group experienced a sharp decline in ghrelin—the hunger hormone that signals us to keep eating—while the “diet” group didn’t.

Nothing in the milkshake changed. What changed was the story people believed. The belief alone altered their bodies’ hormonal responses.

Belief effect

This isn’t just placebo trickery. A placebo is when you don’t know that something isn’t real.

Belief effect is different:

Belief effect is when what you know, expect, or believe actively shapes your physiology.

Information, knowledge, and belief can trigger real hormonal changes. When we believe a food is nourishing, our body absorbs it differently. When we believe a workout is effective, our body responds more strongly.

Beliefs prime the brain’s prefrontal cortex—a prediction-making machine—which then signals the body to follow through.

How to use the belief effect to our advantage?

So, how do we harness this in daily life?

• Movement: Don’t just drag yourself through exercise. Actively believe that it’s strengthening you. Instead of thinking, “This is just a walk,” (like I did 🙈) think, “This is exercise.”

• Food: See meals as fuel, not guilt. If you believe your food is nourishing, your body is more likely to process it as such.

• Work: If you believe your effort counts—even when results aren’t immediate—you sustain the motivation and physiological energy to keep going.

• Decisions: When you trust that a choice is good for you, your body and brain line up to support it, making it easier to follow through.

This doesn’t mean belief replaces action. But when paired with action, it magnifies results.

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I can’t wait to get back to running. Until then, I’m enjoying my nature walks while knowing they are good for me.

Who knew what you believe is as important as what you do.

Until next time 🙌