The Pygmalion Effect

Consider this one of the most famous psychology experiments of the 20th century:

Robert Rosenthal led a team of researchers into an elementary school and conducted intelligence tests to the students.

After the tests Rosenthal and his team told the teachers which students has the most potential to become academic superstars. They were Sam, Sally, and Sarah.

But the teachers were told not to mention the results of the study to the students, and not to spend any more time with them. (In fact, the teachers were warned they would be observed to make sure they did not.)

"At the end of the year, the students were tested again, and indeed, Sam, Sally, and Sarah posted off-the-chart intellectual ability."

Of course, it's no surprise. Except that..

"When Sam, Sally, and Sarah had been tested at the beginning of the experiment, they were found to be absolutely, wonderfully ordinary."

The researchers just picked their names at random. But how did they posted off-the-chart results at the end of the year?

"Although the teachers had said nothing directly to these children and had spent equal amounts of time with everyone, two crucial things had happened. The belief that the teachers had in the students' potential had been unwittingly and nonverbally communicated. These nonverbal messages were then digested by the students and transformed into reality."

Psychologists call it The Pygmalion Effect: "When we expect certain behaviors of others, we are likely to act in ways that make the expected behavior more likely to occur."

We've been shaped by it, and we've been using it, unintentionally, to shape others.

What are you expecting off of your spouse? children? co-workers? Are you setting them up for success or for failure?

It's not only about what we say, it's also about what we think. We can easily dress up our words but not our beliefs - they leak out in other forms, and people around us can pick them up.

Sometimes, it helps if we examine what we think and expect about the people we care about, as they can make those expectations - whether we voiced them or not - a reality.

Sources:

• The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Anchor

• "The Pygmalion Effect" https://www.duq.edu/about/centers-and-institutes/center-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-and-learning-at-duquesne/pygmalion