TL;DR: The stories you tell yourself often become the beliefs that shape your actions, relationships, and resilience. The good news? Beliefs aren’t fixed. By recognizing limiting beliefs and practicing simple exercises to challenge them, you can build a healthier mindset and respond to life’s challenges with greater confidence.
Every day, your brain tells thousands of tiny stories.
“I’m not good at presentations.”
“Nothing I do makes a difference.”
“This week is going to be a disaster.”
Those thoughts may seem like passing commentary, but your brain is paying closer attention than you think.
The stories you repeat to yourself often become beliefs. And those beliefs quietly shape how you respond to challenges, build relationships, handle setbacks, and even decide whether something is worth trying in the first place.
That’s the idea behind The Power of Beliefs, a new book by positive psychology researcher Shawn Achor. In a recent conversation with Mark Williamson of Action for Happiness, Achor shared the science behind why our beliefs matter so much — and, more importantly, how we can change the ones that are holding us back.
Here’s what the research says and a few simple ways to put it into practice at work and at home.
When most people hear the word "belief," they think of something fuzzy: an opinion, a hope, a matter of personal outlook. But according to Achor's research, beliefs function more like predictions. They're the hypotheses your brain runs about what's likely to happen next, and those predictions shape the actions you actually take.
That distinction matters because it means beliefs aren't just "nice to have" for morale. They have measurable, physical effects.
Consider the evidence:
None of this means positive thinking cures illness or wins games on its own. It means belief is doing real, physiological work that most of us underestimate, and that work shows up in the workplace, too.
Fitness programs, nutrition support, and stress management resources matter. But an employee can be well-rested, well-fed, and still be operating from a belief that quietly undercuts all of it: that their work doesn't matter, that they're on their own, or that nothing they do will change the outcome.
Here's why that matters for employers specifically:
Some eye-opening context from the research:
Fortunately, beliefs aren’t set in stone. They can shift, often faster than people expect.
Achor's research identifies seven core beliefs that show up again and again in people experiencing burnout, anxiety, loneliness, and depression:
If one or two of those feel familiar, you're not alone (no pun intended). The encouraging part is that the opposite of each belief is just as powerful. Employees who believe their contributions matter, that they're connected to something bigger, and that they have something to offer tend to show up differently at work, not because they're forcing optimism, but because their brain is operating from a different set of predictions about what's possible.
Talking about beliefs is one thing. Changing them is another. Achor's research points to two techniques that are simple enough to use starting today, whether you're a manager, an HR leader, or just having a rough week yourself.
Telling someone "you've got this" is a nice sentiment, but on its own, it doesn't give the brain anything to act on. Achor calls the missing pieces the "warrant" (the because) and the "qualifier" (the if-then).
Compare these two statements:
The second version gives the brain evidence and a path forward. Try swapping in a because and an if the next time you're encouraging a direct report, a teammate, or yourself.
When anxiety fixates on one worst-case outcome, Achor suggests writing down ten possible outcomes, ranked from worst to least bad, instead of spiraling on a single scenario.
The exercise works because ranking multiple outcomes shifts brain activity away from the amygdala (which drives emotional overwhelm) toward the prefrontal cortex (which handles decision-making and planning). Employees often realize partway through the list that they hadn't considered any of the more neutral, or even positive, outcomes at all.
Related: Want more research-backed ways to build resilience on your team? Check out our guide on workplace stress management strategies.
Q: Isn't focusing on "belief" just another way of promoting toxic positivity?
A: Achor pushes back on this directly. He argues the real problem isn't positivity, it's ignorance of the real challenges people face. The goal isn't to pretend problems don't exist. It's to acknowledge what's genuinely difficult while refusing to let one belief (like "nothing I do matters") write the whole story.
Q: Can changing a belief really affect physical outcomes?
A: According to the research cited in The Power of Beliefs, yes. Studies on conditions ranging from chronic pain to childhood epilepsy to cancer recovery show that shifting a single belief, while holding every other variable constant, can meaningfully change outcomes. While beliefs aren’t a substitute for medical care, they can influence stress levels, resilience, treatment adherence, and overall well-being.
Q: How can employers support this without it feeling forced or artificial?
A: Start small. Encourage managers to use qualifiers and warrants when giving feedback. Build in regular opportunities for employees to reflect on meaningful moments (a quick weekly prompt works well). Normalize talking about setbacks honestly rather than glossing over them. Authentic, low-pressure practices tend to land better than a mandated "positivity initiative."
Wellness programs tend to focus on the measurable: steps taken, pounds lost, screenings completed. Belief is harder to put on a dashboard, but it may be doing more work than any of those metrics to determine whether an employee is thriving or just getting by.
A few low-lift ways to start:
None of this requires a new benefit or a new budget line. It starts with paying attention to the stories employees are telling themselves. Because when those stories change, the way people think, feel, and respond to challenges often changes with them.
The stories we tell ourselves become the beliefs we carry. Those beliefs become the choices we make. And over time, those choices shape our health, our work, and our lives.