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Pygmalion Effect
I am seriously interested in this subject, and it’s such a nuanced topic, with degrees of validity, that it’s worth noting evidence when you’re reminded of it. Did you ever hear the story of the teacher who was told her class was comprised of exceptional students, when they were just average, and the class became exceptional because the teacher interacted with them in a way that encouraged exceptional? A teacher that had exceptional students was told her class was remedial at best, and her interaction with them led to a decline in capabilities. It’s called, the Pygmalion effect. Does this mean, if you think everyone is stupid or mean- people will become that which you expect?
This essay is influenced by a Thinking Allowed episode, found below.
What we think has subtle influences over others. Maybe this is just evidence for subtle transmission of our inner thinking effecting a social world, and not evidence of Psi. I am okay with that, and this intro argues for that. I suspect it goes further than that. Our thoughts also influence the quality of our own work. When errors crop into work due to bias, scientist refer to this as the Experimenter Effect. It’s measurable. The Pygmalion Effect is measurable.
