7 psychology facts we should all know

The brain is a wonderful, complex and somewhat disturbing mystery. Though mysterious, it’s patterns can be identified and it’s matter can be trained. Mind over matter is no rumour, and our psyche is more powerful than most of us dare to imagine. The smallest shift in the way we think can cause the largest waves of change, and the things we tell ourselves in private, in silence, shape our personalities and dictate our perception of the world which surrounds us.

So you think you know your mind? Think again.

Psychology fact Nº1 – Memories of memories

When you remember a past event, you’re actually remembering the last time you remembered it. What this actually does, is change the memory slightly each time you recall it. That’s often why we remember things totally wrong.

Psychology fact Nº2 – Lingo

When thinking in another language, we are more logical and less bias. So if you happen to know another language other than your mother tongue, whip it out whenever you’re faced with a high stress situation.

Psychology fact Nº3 – Fake it ’til you make it

Even the illusion of progress can motivate us.

Psychology fact Nº4 – Multitask myth

We cannot actually “multitask.” Instead, we switch our attention from task to task extremely quickly, giving the illusion that we are doing multiple things at once.

Psychology fact Nº5 – You never miss a beat

Your subconscious mind is constantly switched on. When you fall asleep in front of the TV, your subconscious hears every single thing that is being said. It is listening! Unfortunately, we’ll never know how to access this information on command, and often the strangest phenomenons occur when our subconscious comes through. Like waking up from a coma knowing how to speak a language fluently which you never took even one lesson. (Yes, that’s happened! And more than once in recorded history.)

Psychology fact Nº6 – Dreams have meaning

Your subconscious mind has a sneaky way of communicating with your conscious mind. In fact, it often speaks to you in dreams using symbols, metaphors and scenarios. These analogies help you process certain situations or events.

Psychology fact Nº7 – Future emotions

We over estimate the emotional impact of future events. Here’s the thing, we never really know how we’re going to react when faced with certain situations. Generally, we’re pretty bad at guessing how future events will make us feel. This is known as the impact bias. Why it matters: when we believe something is likely to be far better or far worse than it actually will be, it can contribute to us making poor choices.

The role of psychology in holistic living

A holistic lifestyle aims to bring stability and balance to the mind, therefore any holistic practice you teach, preach or perform will be promoting and enabling that. Through balance we can reach a place of inner peace, acceptance, strength and wholesomeness. Basically, when we have our shit together, we’re better human beings not only to ourselves, but to the people we interact with and the environment we live in. Wellness breeds wellness, health encourages health and positivity feeds from positivity. The more good stuff you introduce into the world, the more you will attract and therefore create. That’s the type of cycle we want to get trapped in. The wellness cycle.

Sources: Higher Perspectives, BBN Community, NPR