More research on the power of our minds: Clues for buffing up our conflict resolving muscles

In "Mind Over Matter: Mental Training Increases Physical Strength" (pdf), we learn of some astounding research. The study "tested whether mental training alone can produce a gain in muscular strength." The answer? Yes!

Here's the research method:

Thirty male university athletes, including football, basketball and rugby players, were randomly assigned to perform mental training of their hip flexor muscles, to use weight machines to physically exercise their hip flexors, or to form a control group which received neither mental nor physical training. The hip strength of each group was measured before and after training. Physical strength was increased by 24% through mental practice (p = .008). Strength was also increased through physical training, by 28%, but did not change significantly in the control condition.

Research has shown that mental rehearsal is almost as effective as physical practice in improving performance. Many great athletes have used mental rehearsal to improve success; the science has proven what they already knew.

But here is a piece of research looking not at performance but at strength! Mental training can improve strength. Is that not exciting?

What other improvements can we make by thought alone? I am sure we will learn more and more about the power of our mind—and soon.

How might you use mental rehearsal as a person helping others to resolve disputes? How might you use mental rehearsal to resolve your own disputes? And, maybe most important, how might you recommend to clients—or use yourself—mental rehearsal to avoid future conflict? Think about it.

And please let me know your thoughts.

Note (added January 7, 2008, 8:15 AM Mountain): On a related note,

many of you have probably read about the hotel-maid research by Professor Ellen J. Langer. As described in "Mindful Exercise," a New York Times article:

Simply by telling 44 hotel maids that what they did each day involved some serious exercise, the Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer and Alia J. Crum, a student, were apparently able to lower the women’s blood pressure, shave pounds off their bodies and improve their body-fat and “waist to hip” ratios. Self-awareness, it seems, was the women’s elliptical trainer.

Early in January of 2008, NPR covered Langer's research: "Hotel Maids Challenge the Placebo Effect."

The Langer research was published in Psychological Science (Alia J. Crum, Ellen J. Langer (2007)
Mind-Set Matters: Exercise and the Placebo Effect, Psychological Science 18 (2), 165–171.) Read the Psychological Science article here. (pdf) 

Image credit: alocboyz at photobucket

Comments

[Tom Volkar / Delightful Work]

These are wonderfully inspiring studies that you've shared, Stephanie. In this day and age I'm continually amazed by the number of folks who do not believe in the creative power of their own thinking.

It's up to those of us who know better to continue to share proof like this so that personal responsibility becomes the norm.

[Bill Zoxpro]

Wow didn't know this. This is indeed very fascinating. I will read the report right now. I think this is something that most people would not believe without a proof.
Awesome post!

[Gene]

Hi, I know this is an old post, but wanted to comment on it. I found your post from a Google search for "mental rehearsal". I was looking for the basis of the idea that mental rehearsal has some kind of real effect, and the study you cited adds weight to that. Assuming that mental rehearsal "works" because the mind/body doesn't know the different between a "real" experience and an imagined experience, then this could also be a key to self-sabotage routines it's just that the type of experience one is rehearsing is a harmful one rather than a helpful one. What do you think of this idea that self-sabotage can enter your psychology through the doorway of harmful mental rehearsal?