Doing the Best You Can? You're Not Even Close.

How much does what you think you can do affect what you can do? Pretty much everyone agrees “a lot.” But Harvard psychology researcher, Ellen Langer, set out to quantify just how much our expectations limit us. And the result of her study will challenge your understanding of human potential.

Turning Back the Clock

In 1979, Langer set up what she called the Counterclockwise study in which she offered a group of elderly men a one week retreat. Before the retreat the subjects were measured on physical dexterity, cognitive function, sensory acuity (both seeing and hearing), appearance, and psychological well-being. She split the subjects into two groups:

1. The control group, who spent an ordinary week in an ordinary resort-like setting and were told to reminisce about 1959.
2. The experimental group, who spent the week with the clock turned back 20 years.

The researchers set up the experimental group’s living space such that:

• Magazines and newspapers were from 1959.
• The furnishings and decor were unabashedly mid-century.
• Music and TV shows were from the 1950s.

In addition the researchers asked participants in the experimental group to speak about their lives in the present tense, as if it really was 1959. The researchers instructed:

We are not asking you to ‘act as if it is 1959’, but to let yourself be just who you were in 1959. We have good reason to believe that if you are successful at this, you will feel as well as you did in 1959.

The results were remarkable. After just one week, the group with the clock turned back showed measurable improvements in strength, dexterity, cognitive function, and even vision as compared to their baseline measurements. Some participants also appeared visibly younger in photographs taken after the experiment.

The implications of this experiment are profound. By simply reframing their context for a week, the men in the experimental group essentially became younger. They didn’t just behave younger, but their physical attributes and capabilities indicated that they were younger. This experiment is one of the starkest examples of the brain’s surprising power over the body.

If a week of thinking like it’s 20 years ago could have this powerful of an effect, think of that poor control group who just reminisced about 1959, but continued to feel like grumpy old men.

Oh wait a minute, we’re all in the control group!

The Power of Reframing

While we can't easily replicate Langer's experiment in our daily lives, the implications are clear: our mindset and expectations significantly affect our capabilities. In a sense, we're all living in a 'control group,' limited by our own perceptions of what's possible.

The forthcoming Outsmart the Learning Curve book includes several examples of how subjects in the book used reframing techniques that enabled incredible transformations or catalyzed overcoming crippling obstacles. Some of these reframing techniques include:

Reframing Stress

Conventional wisdom often portrays stress as entirely negative, but research suggests our perception of stress might be more important than the stress itself. A University of Wisconsin-Madison study shockingly found that people who experienced high stress and believed stress was harmful to their health (High Stress, High Perception group below) had a 43% higher risk of dying compared to those who experienced low stress and didn't view it as harmful.

Health psychologist Kelly McGonigal proposes that by reframing our perception of stress , we can turn it into an asset. It may be that the High Stress, Low Perception group above, having a 17% lower mortality rate than the baseline, are doing just that. The idea is that when you notice physical signs of stress like a racing heartbeat or quickened breath, you should recognize these as your body's natural fight-or-flight response—a reaction evolved to empower and protect you.

This stress response enriches your blood with oxygen, sharpens your brain, and prepares your muscles for action. In small doses, this bodily reaction can be helpful. By viewing stress this way, you're more likely to use it to your advantage during challenging moments and calm yourself when the stressful situation passes.

The key is to use controlled, empowering stress as a tool for resilience when facing difficulties, rather than allowing it to spiral into long-term, constant stress, which can indeed be harmful. Reframing stress in this manner can help you navigate the bumpy parts of any learning curve or challenging situation more effectively.

Reframing Failure

We've all experienced the sting of failure, but what’s now becoming clearer is that early failure is almost a requirement for success. A previous newsletter covered the fascinating research showing that NIH grant applicants who narrowly missed getting their first grant but persevered went on to outperform those who succeeded on their first try. These "near miss" researchers published more papers and conducted more impactful studies.

So remember, when you fail at something, it's simply a step toward getting better. By changing our perspective on failure, we can build resilience, learn faster, and ultimately achieve greater success.

Reframing Rejection

Getting rejected or ghosted is discouraging, but a simple shift in perspective can change how we view it. Instead of focusing on the rejection rate, try reframing it as a conversion rate. If you reach out to 100 people in your network and 10 respond positively, rather than seeing it as a 90% rejection rate, view it as a 10% conversion rate. This approach, commonly used in sales and marketing, focuses on successes rather than failures.

By adopting this mindset, you can approach networking and opportunity-seeking with more resilience and optimism. Each positive response becomes a win, rather than each non-response feeling like a loss. In many professional fields, a 10% success rate would be considered outstanding. Viewing your efforts through this lens can help you persist, learn from each interaction, and ultimately increase your chances of success.

Reframing Your Reality: The Key to Unleashing Your Potential

From Ellen Langer's Counterclockwise study to reframing stress, failure, and rejection, we've seen some examples of how dramatically our mindset influences our capabilities. The title of this essay "Doing the Best You Can? You're Not Even Close" isn't meant to discourage you—it's a challenge to reconsider what's possible. By reframing your context, you can unleash hidden potential you never knew existed.

What if you're capable of much more than you currently believe? What if the limitations you've accepted are actually flexible? By consciously challenging these self-imposed boundaries, you can continue to expand what "your best" means.

Have you ever surprised yourself by exceeding what you thought were your limits? How might you apply the concept of reframing to a current challenge in your life? Share your experiences and ideas in the comments!