Nir Eyal

I still feel nothing has changed in terms of the physiological sensations.

I still feel them right this minute.

But the belief completely changed.

Now, when I feel the same exact signals,

the sweaty armpits and the cotton mouth and the beating heart.

Now I've changed the story.

Now I tell myself,

that those physiological symptoms, my beating heart, for example, is happening because my brain needs more oxygen.

And so my heart is beating faster to deliver more oxygen to my brain so I can deliver my best possible presentation about something I really care about.

Same signal, same information, same physiological stressors, but the interpretation is completely different in a way that serves me rather than hurts me.

Now, here's the most important part of that story.

Is it true?

it actually factually true that's happening i don't know i don't care because beliefs are tools not truths beliefs are tools not truths if you want to summarize my six years of research this would be it that we have this misconception that our beliefs have to be facts that's not the case facts are things that are objectively true whether you believe them or not

Beliefs are convictions that are open to revision based on evidence.

So what makes beliefs so special is that they can change.

If they don't serve us, we can adopt new ones.

So as long as we are able to recognize the fact that these beliefs are not facts, that they're there to serve us, we can swap them out at will.

And I think most of our personal problems, our interpersonal relationship problems, even our geopolitical problems,

are caused by the unfortunate fact that people confuse facts for beliefs.

So let me illustrate with my example, which is always a little hard to tell, but it's important and I think quite relatable to folks.