Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Maybe you're a believer of prophecies. Or maybe you're one of the people who thinks prophecies are based on superstitions. But there is one psychological phenomenon that makes the prophecies real. It is called self-fulfilling prophecy.

Of course, this does not include the acts of nature such as typhoons, earthquakes or floods. Self-fulfilling prophecy refers to your predictions about certain events around you. The expectation or belief you have leads you to act subconsiously toward fulfilling that prophecy.

For example, you may predict that today is a very unlucky day. Because of this, you tend to notice all the unlucky events that are happening to you, such as forgetting to bring enough money or getting caught in the traffic. You tend to feel negative already about your day and every little thing that doesn't go your way would make you believe more about that notion. Since you are already convinced that your day is indeed unlucky, you will tend to deal with your problems inefficiently, thus fulfilling the prophecy. On the other hand, believing that today is a great day would make you act positively toward events. As you go about your daily routine, even if you encounter some minor problems, you will tend to be proactive and address the problems effectively. Your positive attitude will also help you deal with people more effectively.

Yes, in other words, our attitudes in life play a very important role in the events to come. Many events are uncontrollable, but a big part of our fate depends on how we face it. So, don't forget to always wear a smile, and always think positively. Your mind is powerful enough to change your fate.

Hindsight Bias: The I-Knew-It-Along Phenomenon

Psychology is a study of human behavior. People often think that it is all common sense. After all, who would have the best knowledge about human behavior other than human beings themselves? When I read online articles about psychological researches or studies, I always see comments of readers stating that those are a waste of time, and that the results are very obvious. Well, although I sometimes feel that way too, but psychology isn't about common sense. It is about understanding people the scientific approach. For instance, if a study reveals that people tend to marry those who are opposite to their personalities, confirming the cliche "opposites attract." People would think, "Ah! I knew it all along. It was very obvious." What if the study reveals otherwise, instead it proves that people tend to marry same-minded partners, confirming the saying about "birds of the same feather flock together?" Then people would jump to this belief, stating that it was what they knew all along.