We get what we expect. Stated differently, what we expect is what we get.

In 2007, a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University gave a group of participants a series of mentally exhausting tasks to perform. Before the task, the researchers told one of group of them that the time allocated is usually more than sufficient to complete the task (it was a lie), but told another group that the time allocated is usually insufficient to finish the task (it was also a lie). These simple experimental lies worked. In the end, the first group performed the tasks significantly better than the second!  

The morale of this experiment? We perform according to our expectation. The more scary implication? We may fail because we expect to fail.

The next time you are about to compete with someone in a game of chess or tennis, be sure to tell your opponent before the competition begins, “Are you okay? You look rather tired and weak today.” Let the negative expectation do the rest of the trick for you.

The implications of this study are clear:

1. Oftentimes, what we expect is what we may ultimately get.

2. Positive expectations can be encouraging and empowering, as much as negative expectations can be restricting and limiting.

Reference

1. The Iowa Gambling Task experiment: Michael A. DeDonno and Heath A. Demaree. (2008). Perceived time pressure and the Iowa Gambling Task. Judgment and Decision Making, 3(8), 636–640.