Scientific Evidence of Mind Power
Friday, March 5th, 2010Today, I was reminded of a University of Chicago study on visualization.
In the study, basketball players were tested to determine their free-throw proficiency. Once tested, the players were randomly placed in one of three groups.
The first group practiced shooting free throws for an hour each day.
The second group visualized shooting free throws daily.
The third group didn’t play basketball or think about basketball.
After 30 days, all the players in all three groups took another free throw skill test.
The players in the group that had practiced daily improved by 24 percent.
The players in the group that hadn’t done anything didn’t test as well as they had the first time (no big surprise).
The players in the third group, those who had ONLY visualized, improved by 23 percent, nearly as much as those who had physically practiced!
This is the power of the mind.
If you’re old enough, you may remember the old Aqua Velvet commercials where the men get slapped in the face with the aftershave. I think they said something like, “Thanks, I needed that.”
Being reminded of this experiment was my slap in the face. It warned me that I’ve been doing the negative equivalent of visualizing my financial doom. That’s what worry is—visualizing what you don’t want.
Well, enough of that. Since I’ve been going around shouting, “Yahoo, we won the lottery!” I’m finding it easier to imagine actually winning and moving to Oregon like we want.
The more I imagine it, the better I feel. And as I’ve said, it’s the feeling that matters more than the seeing!
How about it? What are you visualizing in a way that’s making you feel good?
