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Give the “Pygmalion effect” a shot sometime
Inculcating the The Pygmalion effect in to one’s day to day life could have overwhelming benefits. It could be used as positive self talk………..
So, What’s the Pygmalion Effect? – The Pygmalion effect is sometimes referred to as the “Self Full-filling Prophecy” and has a similar meaning. It’s a phenomenon whereby higher expectations tends to drive people and make them more efficient, improving their performance in anything that they undertake. When expectations are laid, there is a higher chance of growing and similarly the opposite ie. when less if expected from someone then they tend to perform poorly.
For example, if someone wants to learn something or wants to improvise on some part of their life and if he/she is constantly reminded that they’re doing good and that they could do far better if they put in some extra effort; could have a overwhelming effect on their self. A person, consciously or unconsciously is driven by these thoughts and inputs and therefore act in a way that is consistent with that expectation.
Another good example was portrayed by George Bernard Shaw in his popular play – Pygmalion. I don’t know how many of you have watched the play: “Pygmalion“or the movie: “My Fair Lady (1964)“; If you did, then you may remember Miss Eliza Doolittle – a simple flower girl who was transformed into a beautiful, well-mannered, lady by Sir. Henry Higgins (The Protagonist) who basically sets high expectations from her and eventually she turns out to become what she was destined to be – A duchess. Over the course of time, Eliza acted consistent in lines with the expectation that were laid upon her and at the end she saw a transformation in her life, something that she always dreamt of.
Speaking of how we could inculcate this in our lives is rather easy and I believe we all can benefit from this. It’s a win-win situation. Let’s say your friend or a beloved or your team is trying to get something done or trying to learn some new skills or the like – you could help them by setting high expectations which would consciously or unconsciously help them improve. Same goes if you set them for yourself.
Set high and positive expectations for yourself no matter what and work on them. You’ll see your life changing!
As ever, Dream on – Anirudh
