Today is all about why having an optimistic and positive mindset can make a big difference in our life.
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Episode Transcript
Hello, you lovely lot.
Hope you are doing all right inBody and mind.
'cause the two are alwaysdancing together, aren't they?
Which isn't much of a secret.
Not really.
We know that even a placebo canmake us feel good.
Now, long time listeners mightremember me banging on about
Alia Crum's milkshakeexperiment.
(00:21):
It's one of my favourites'causeit shows just how much our
mindset can trick our body.
So spoiler alert, these were twoidentical milkshakes, but they
had completely differenteffects.
Let me tell you.
So here's the setup.
Volunteers were roped in todrink milkshakes twice, and they
were paid for it as well, whichhonestly sounds like my kind of
(00:43):
science experiment.
But there was a catch.
Both times they'd be hooked upto an IV while their blood was
tested and they had to comefirst thing in the morning
having skipped breakfast.
They wanted them to be a littlebit hungry.
The participants were all toldthat they were gonna be
monitored, to see what effectscertain nutrients had on their
(01:04):
body.
But that wasn't true.
If ever you get signed up forany sort of psychology
experiment, whatever they tellyou isn't true.
Any experiment really.
'cause the researchers wereactually looking at a hormone
called ghrelin.
Think of ghrelin.
As your body's get up and findfood alarm, it makes you feel
(01:25):
hungry and it slows yourmetabolism down a little just in
case you don't find anything toeat when you go out hunting.
We've gotta remember, we're notbuilt for the 21st century and
24 hour Asda.
We are hunter gatherers lookingfor berries and gazelles,
although I'm yet to see agazelle in the supermarket, not
even in the middle aisle atAldi.
(01:47):
'cause we've moved on a littlebit.
Anyway, once we eat and feelsatisfied, ghrelin levels
usually drop and our body speedsup the metabolism again.
So could simply thinkingdifferently about a milkshake
change what the body did withghrelin?
It's one thing for a placebo toaffect us psychologically, but
(02:08):
what can it do physiologically?
So in the first week, theyhanded out a healthy shake.
The label said things like zerofat, no added sugar, only 140
calories.
So the volunteers would read thelabel.
And they'd get hungrier, drinkthe shake.
And sure enough, their ghrelinlevel dropped a little, but only
(02:32):
back to where it was before.
Basically, their bodies weren'tall that impressed by this
milkshake.
The second week, the samevolunteers, the same milkshake,
but with a new label.
This time it was the indulgenceshake.
The packaging promised them 56grams of sugar, 30 grams of fat,
(02:54):
620 calories, proper decadentstuff.
While reading that label, theirghrelin levels shot up six times
higher than the week before.
Their bodies were like, Oh, yes,please.
Feed me cake in a cup, and thenthey drank it and boosh, the
(03:16):
ghrelin levels plummeted.
Their brains and bellies feltsatisfied.
But like I say, both milkshakeswere identical.
They both had exactly the samecalories, the same fat, the same
everything.
The only thing that changed wasthe label and the mindset that
went with it.
Which means in week one, thatmilkshake would've left them
(03:38):
hungry.
In week two, the exact samemilkshake left them feeling
satisfied, all because ofexpectation.
That's why choking down healthyfood you don't enjoy can
actually backfire and lead toweight gain rather than weight
loss.
Your body doesn't get themessage that it's satisfied.
(04:02):
And that makes you think,doesn't it?
Because ghrelin is just onehormone, but our bodies are busy
chemistry laboratories.
We're producing adrenaline,oxytocin, melatonin, influencing
our sleep levels, our excitementlevels, our anxiety, our sense
of belongingness and love.
All influenced by how we thinkand feel.
(04:24):
Turns out we've got a lot morecontrol than we realise over
this chemistry laboratory insideof us.
And this is why gratitude is soimportant, even for the smallest
things.
Label something in your life ina more satisfying way and just
watch how your body and yourmood can respond.
'cause if a label on a milkshakecan trick your stomach.
(04:47):
Imagine what a kinder label onyour whole day could do.
Find something to savour, giveit a better name and see what
happens.
As always, I went into a lotmore detail about all of these
experiments on Patreon.
If you wanna join me on there.
The one about cleaning hotelrooms astonishes me still.
(05:08):
You know where to find me if youwant to join.
So you take care and I'll catchyou next time.
See ya.
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