Do you think that if you truly believe something, it is possible to change reality?

Question

I'm talking about placebos. Do you think the same aspect can apply to other things that are physically possible, but otherwise extremely rare?

Can psychological reasoning change the way things normally react physically? I thought of this after watching a couple of episodes of House on FOX, and I wanted some of your opinions.

Answer 1

You can change your perception of reality if you truly believe something.  If you believe in something you may change your behaviour which in turns affects how others respond to you.  In that way, you could say your beliefs (along with your behaviour) changed reality.

Answer 2

That is the power of faith.  It is believing in things that are not as though they were.

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Answer 3

I guess it depends on what you mean by reality.  We know that different emotional states create different chemicals in the body, and vice-versa:  different chemicals create different emotional states.  The various antidepressants are a good example of this.  And it's been shown that a positive attitude increases one's disease-resistant capabilities.  The connections between chemistry and emotional states is a relatively recent discovery, at least in a general sense.  But that doesn't mean that it wasn't true before people knew about it.  So what I'm thinking is that placebos don't have an effect of changing reality, but that there is more to it than we currently understand, so it can appear that they do affect reality.

Answer 4

I think that people underestimate the power of positive or negative energy. You can become sick if you constantly think you're sick or something's wrong with you. I developed panic disorder because I thought I had a brain tumor, or something. Illness follows thought, so therefore health and happiness also follows thought.

Did you know that a Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto researched water molecules, and the effects of negative and positive energy (in the form of words) on the molecules. The molecules would react to each word, and form patterns. The word love, for instance, formed a beautiful pattern. "I want to kill you" made the water look disgusting and a-symmetrical. Same as with "Adolf Hitler", or heavy metal music.

The words weren't the things affecting the water molecules. The negative or positive connotations we give to the words were. Everything comes back to us. If you say "You're ugly" every day to yourself, it won't be long until you really are ugly. If you say "You are loved and happy" you will be. You give yourself the power to construct any reality you want. Choose a good one.

Answer 5

Reality can be changed through action, but not through wishes or just looking on the bright side.  Thinking everything is all right when your life is falling apart is delusional.