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1136: How to Reshape Your Beliefs to Unlock Hidden Capabilities with Nir Eyal

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Mar 12, 2026

Guest

Nir Eyal

Nir Eyal, author and researcher on behavior and human potential, explores how beliefs shape what we can do. He digs into striking studies about persistence and placebos. He explains beliefs as tools, names common limiting beliefs, and offers practical techniques to test and reframe them. Short, vivid stories and research make the ideas stick.

40:30

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ANECDOTE

Placebo Steroid Drove Real Muscle Gains

1970s athlete study told men they received a breakthrough steroid and those men gained real muscle and strength.
Tracking showed the effect came from working out harder believing they were enhanced, not from the inert pill itself.

insights

INSIGHT

Beliefs Are Tools Not Absolute Truths

Beliefs are tools, distinct from facts and faith, and should be revised with new evidence.
Most life choices rely on beliefs and we often mistake limiting beliefs for facts due to the brain's immunity to change.

insights

INSIGHT

How Beliefs Shape What We See Feel And Do

Beliefs shape perception, anticipation, and action via three powers: attention, anticipation, and agency.
The brain processes ~11 million bits per second but consciousness handles ~50, forcing a predictive simulation guided by priors.

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Rats, persistence, and hidden capability

01:03 • 4min

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Placebos produce real performance gains

04:57 • 2min

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Beliefs are tools, not absolute truths

07:10 • 4min

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Common limiting beliefs people carry

11:08 • 2min

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Three powers of belief: see, feel, do

13:02 • 3min

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Productive deception: Serena Williams example

16:10 • 2min

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Branding and expectation shape experience

18:25 • 5min

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Positive aging beliefs extend lifespan

22:59 • 2min

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Stop labeling yourself; change behavior instead

24:29 • 1min

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Technique: Byron Katie-style four questions

25:40 • 5min

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Turning beliefs around in relationships

30:33 • 5min

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Tools: scheduled worry and third-person self-talk

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All Marketers Are Liars

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Set during the Napoleonic Wars, 'War and Peace' follows the lives of several Russian aristocratic families, including the Bezukhovs, the Rostovs, and the Bolkonskys. The novel spans from 1805 to 1820 and is known for its realistic detail and psychological analysis. It explores the impact of Napoleon's invasion of Russia on the characters and society, delving into themes of love, family, war, and personal growth. The novel includes historical events such as the Battle of Austerlitz, the Treaties of Tilsit, and the French invasion of Russia, intertwining historical and fictional elements.

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Nir Eyal provides research-proven strategies for tackling the biggest restraint in our lives: our beliefs.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) Striking examples of the power of our beliefs

2) How to make the most of placebos

3) Three tools for challenging your limiting beliefs

Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep1136 for clickable versions of the links below.

— ABOUT NIR —

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and human potential. He previously taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. He is the author of the international bestsellers Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products andIndistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, which have sold over 1 million copies in more than 30 languages. Indistractable received critical acclaim, winning the Outstanding Works of Literature Award and being named among the best business and personal development books of the year by Amazon, Audible, and The Globe and Mail. His third book, Beyond Belief, reveals how to identify and replace the hidden beliefs that define our limits. As an active angel investor, Nir has backed multi-billion-dollar companies that implement his methodologies, including Canva, Kahoot!, and others. In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, his writing has been featured in The New York Times and Harvard Business Review, and he is a regular contributor to Psychology Today.

• Book: Beyond Belief: The Science-Backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Breakthrough Results

• Website: NirAndFar.com

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Study: “On the Phenomenon of Sudden Death in Animals and Man” by Curt P. Richter

• Study: “Anabolic steroids: the physiological effects of placebos” by Ariel Gideon and William Saville

• Study: “Cognitive influence on the evaluation of wine: The impact and assessment of price” by Charles Spence

• Study: “Longevity increased by positive self-perceptions of aging” by Becca R. Levy, Martin D. Slade, Suzanne R. Kunkel, and Stanislav V. Kasl

• Book: All Marketers are Liars: The Underground Classic That Explains How Marketing Really Works--and Why Authenticity Is the Best Marketing of All by Seth Godin

• Book: Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense by Rory Sutherland

• Book: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Monarch.com. Get 50% off your first year on with the code AWESOME.

• Vanguard. Give your clients consistent results year in and year out with vanguard.com/AUDIO

• Shopify. Sign up for your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/better

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