Latest news with #belief
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Leah Williamson believes England's 'vulnerability' aided Euro 2025 victory
Leah Williamson believes it took vulnerability from England to be able to unlock the belief that saw them win back-to-back European Championships in Basel. The Lionesses came back from a goal down to draw 1-1 with world champions Spain at St. Jakob Park, before defeating them 3-1 on penalties. It saw Williamson lift her second European title as England captain, becoming the only senior England captain to do so on foreign soil. But while buzzwords like resilience and a never-say-die attitude have followed their tournament trajectory, the 28-year-old suggests it was the willingness of her side to open themselves up to a belief in their own ability that proved the real key to success. 'You can have all of those words, and sport has all of those words circulating all the time and then you have people that are brave and put that into action and decide that you're going to go for it,' Williamson explained. 'You leave yourself vulnerable and all of those things. If you really, really try hard and it's not quite enough, that's an awful feeling. 'To put yourself out there like that, the reward is so great and we were brave enough to do it. I think that's the key to the team. 'Sarina [Wiegman] believes in us so much, it's hard not to believe that yourself. She said the same thing as she said before, 'We don't have to win, we want to win, and we're capable of winning so it's up to you girls,' and we did it.' England had made a habit of coming back from behind, closing a two-goal deficit against Sweden in the quarter-finals before coming back from 1-0 down against both Italy and Spain. But having lost their opening match against France, England had played must-win football all from the outset and while it may not always have been pretty, they became accustomed to getting the job done. 'It was a hard-fought tournament and after our first game we looked ourselves in the mirror, we knew what we had to do, and we did it, repeatedly,' said Williamson. 'And now we're back-to-back champions and that feels good. 'Thank you to those of you who stuck with us. We'll party for you tonight if you've got work tomorrow and if not, go and enjoy yourselves.' It was club team-mate Alessia Russo who had headed England level, after Mariona Caldentey gave Spain the lead after 25 minutes. A resolute defensive display from Williamson and co kept the scores level and as neither team could find a breakthrough, with Salma Paralluelo's profligacy in front of goal at times England's saving grace, it was to penalties once more. The Lionesses had found their route to success from a shootout against Sweden and would do so again, despite not having favoured penalty takers Russo or Georgia Stanway on the pitch. Instead captain Williamson was one of those to step up, and while she saw her penalty saved by Cata Coll, Chloe Kelly did the bidding to make England Euro 2025 champions. 'I said, 'Really?! I made the cut?'' said Williamson on being picked to take a penalty. 'I struggled the back end of the tournament with an injury and I was very grateful to get through the game. I didn't think it was going to carry me that far, and it did. 'I hit it a little bit too low, I would have gone higher if I could do it again. But on the way back, Chloe said to me, 'Don't worry about it.' If anybody is going to tell me that in a penalty shootout, I'll take it off her.'
Forbes
18-07-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Why Belief Might Be Your Team's Most Underrated Performance Tool
David Meade is one of the world's leading keynote speakers, trusted by Fortune 500 brands to inspire their people. I've spent the past decade traveling the world, delivering more than 150 keynotes a year to some of the world's most ambitious, high-performing organizations. I've shared stages with global leaders, heard the unfiltered doubts of frontline teams and witnessed the epidemic sweeping modern workplaces. It's not burnout. It's not skill gaps. It's belief. More precisely, belief's slow—yet unmistakable—erosion. At a time when everything feels in flux (economies, technologies, patterns of work), teams are increasingly tempted to think smaller, to hedge their bets and expect less. But here's what I've come to realize about high performance: Our belief about what's possible is often more influential than what's actually possible. Now, before you mistake this for motivational fluff, let me reassure you: I'm not asking you to chant affirmations in front of a mirror or hug a tree. This is real science. And some of the most fascinating research I've encountered lately sits at the convergence of performance psychology and something we usually associate with medicine: the placebo effect. Belief Is The Real Drug Let's start with a wild one. In a Minnesota clinical trial testing antidepressants, a participant overdosed on what he believed was the active drug. He collapsed with all the classic symptoms (low blood pressure, vomiting) and required hospitalization. The medical team treated him aggressively for four hours until they called the trial organizer. That's when they discovered something remarkable. The patient had been taking sugar pills. The moment he was told this, his symptoms vanished almost instantly. That's the nocebo effect—the evil twin of the placebo. Both share one thing: the extraordinary power of belief to influence biology. And it doesn't stop at the hospital doors. Designer Sunglasses, Real Results In another study, participants were given identical sunglasses but told they were either high-end or budget-brand versions. Then they were asked to read aloud under bright sunlight. Those who believed they were wearing the premium brand read faster and made fewer errors. They didn't just 'think', 'feel', or 'believe' they were performing better; they were demonstrating marked and measurable improvement. Their belief changed their posture, focus and engagement. All without a single change to the product. It's a tidy metaphor for performance in your workplace. What if your team's 'tools' haven't changed, but their belief in those tools or themselves has? Sing Like You Mean It Harvard Business School ran one of my favorite studies of all time using the world's most scientifically terrifying task: karaoke. Participants were divided into three groups before being asked to sing Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin'.' Before gracing the stage, one group was told to recite repeatedly 'I'm nervous,' another said 'I'm excited,' and a separate control group said nothing. All experienced the same physiological symptoms—racing heart, clammy palms—but the 'I'm excited' group outperformed everyone else, scoring 81% on vocal accuracy compared to just 69% in the 'I'm nervous' group. Same person. Same day. Same circumstances. Different belief. Better performance. This has nothing to do with karaoke and everything to do with reappraising anxiety as energy. It's a trick I now use myself before going on stage. That heart-thumping feeling before a big audience? I don't fight it. I frame it. The Batman Effect Is Real The placebo effect isn't just about pills. It's about adopting mindsets that give us permission to level up. Take the 'Batman Effect,' where kids imagining themselves as someone brave (like Batman) persist longer and perform better when tested. Adults need the same trick. In one study, adults in flight simulators were told to act like professional pilots. Those who took the role seriously actually performed better on vision tests afterward. Their eyesight didn't improve. Their belief did. Here's a fun corporate exercise: Ask your team, 'How would the best in our industry handle this?' What would Serena do? What would Tesla's product team do? What would Batman do? They don't need a mask and a cape. They need a task and a belief. Expectations Shape Outcomes Consider the Pygmalion Effect. Teachers were told certain students (chosen at random) were gifted. Those supposedly virtuosic students later outperformed their peers, not because they were smarter, but because they were treated like they were. This is why leaders must marshall their own emotional leakage on a journey to high performance. Saying, 'Let's manage expectations. It's a tough year,' may feel honest. But what your team hears is permission to underperform. You've handed out a psychological pass to fall short. And performance, like belief, trickles down. Frame Belief Carefully Let's be clear: This isn't about toxic positivity. I'm not suggesting we celebrate saving on heating bills while our house is burning down. That's demoralizing. What I'm advocating is intentional framing. So, instead of shielding your team from challenges, reframe them. 'This client feedback stings, but it's insight we'd never get otherwise.' 'This quarter was brutal, but it has exposed exactly where we need to focus.' My Own Placebo Moment Years ago, in my twenties, I decided I wanted a TV show. With no broadcast experience, I told my mum I was going to pitch one to the BBC. She said, 'Oh no, what if they say no?' I didn't reply, but I remember thinking, 'Yeah, but what if they say yes?' I pulled together a team, pitched the idea, and five weeks later, the BBC commissioned the show. It ran for several seasons and changed the trajectory of my career. The only difference between yes and no was belief. I nearly didn't do it. I nearly let someone else's worry become my truth. Lead Like A Placebo In the most uncertain of times, your job isn't to predict the future. It's to shape what people believe is possible within it. So, here's your placebo checklist: • Model belief. Your team needs to see confidence, not just hear it. • Share progress. Tell stories of people succeeding under pressure. It becomes contagious. • Reframe the narrative. Especially when things go sideways. • Don't fake it, focus it. Direct energy toward what can be learned, gained or grown. Ultimately, the total effect of anything—your leadership, your performance, your outcomes—is a combination of what you do and what you believe about what you're doing. And that, my friends, is the science of belief. Placebo or not, it works. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Wall Street Journal
04-07-2025
- Wall Street Journal
Elon Musk Lost to Trump. He Can't Get Over It.
Elon Musk is like a dog with a bone. What's made him so successful, an unwavering belief that he is right, can also be his undoing—especially when the world's richest man becomes emotional about the matter.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Can you choose to believe something, just like that?
Some years ago, I was in a lively conversation with a software developer about arguments for and against God's existence. After discussing their merits and shortcomings, he paused – perhaps a little impatiently – and said, 'You know, these arguments really don't matter that much. I choose to believe in God. Believing is so valuable for my life.' But is that how belief works – can you simply choose to believe? People can, of course, choose to read certain sources, spend time with certain groups, or reflect on a certain matter – all of which influence their beliefs. But all of these choices involve evidence of some kind. We often choose which evidence to expose ourselves to, but the evidence itself seems to be in the driver's seat in causing beliefs. For much of the past 2,000 years, philosophers would have been perfectly comfortable with the software developer's claim that belief is a matter of choice. A long line of distinguished thinkers – from the Stoic philosopher Epictetus and Saint Augustine of Hippo to French rationalist René Descartes and early feminist Mary Astell have held that people can exercise at least some control over their beliefs. Over the past half-century, however, 'doxastic voluntarism' – the idea that belief is under the control of the will – has been widely rejected. Most current philosophers don't think people can immediately believe something 'just like that,' simply because they want to. What beliefs someone ends up having are determined by the people and environments they are exposed to – from beliefs about a deity to beliefs about the solar system. As a philosophy professor myself, I've dedicated years of reflection to this issue. I've come to think both camps get something right. Some philosophers think that the nature of belief itself ensures that people cannot just choose what to believe. They argue that beliefs have a 'truth-aim' built into them: that is, beliefs characteristically represent reality. And sadly, reality often does not obey our wishes and desires; we cannot just decide to think reality is a certain way. No matter how much I may want to be 6 feet, 8 inches tall, reality will faithfully imprint it upon my consciousness that I am 5'11" every time I glance in the mirror or make an appearance on the basketball court. Were I to resolve to believe that I am 6'8", I would quickly find that such resolutions are wholly ineffective. Or consider another example. If belief were truly voluntary, I would gladly relinquish my belief that climate change is afoot – imagine how less worried I'd be. But I cannot. The evidence, along with the widespread agreement among scientific authorities, has indelibly impressed upon my mind that climate change is part of reality. Regardless of whether I want to believe or not believe, bare desire isn't enough to make it happen. Beliefs seem largely outside of our direct control. But if that's true, some rather alarming consequences seem to follow. It seems we had better stop blaming people for their beliefs, no matter how far-fetched. Suppose I believe a dangerous falsehood: that Bill Gates used the COVID-19 vaccine to implant microchips in people, or that climate change is a hoax, or that the Holocaust is an elaborate fabrication. If belief is involuntary, it looks as though I am innocent of any wrongdoing. These beliefs just happened to me, so to speak. If beliefs are not voluntary, then they seem the spontaneous result of my being exposed to certain influences and ideas – including, in this case, conspiracy theory chat forums. Now, people can choose what influences they allow into their lives – to some extent. I can decide where to gather information about climate trends: a chat forum, the mainstream media, or the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. I can decide how much to reflect on what such sources tell me, along with their motivations. Almost all contemporary philosophers think that people can exert this type of voluntary control over their beliefs. But does that mean I am responsible for the beliefs I arrive at? Not necessarily. After all, which sources we decide to consult, and how we evaluate them, can also be shaped by our preexisting beliefs. I am not going to trust the U.N. climate panel's latest report if, say, I believe it is a part of a global conspiracy to curtail free markets – especially not if I had many similar beliefs drummed into me since childhood. It gets difficult to see how individuals could have any meaningful freedom over their beliefs, or any meaningful responsibility. Research has led me to think that things are a bit less grim – and a bit less black and white. Philosopher Elizabeth Jackson and I recently carried out a study, not yet published, involving more than 300 participants. We gave them brief summaries of several scenarios where it was unclear whether an individual had committed a crime. The evidence was ambiguous, but we asked participants whether they could choose to believe the individual was innocent 'just like that,' without having to gather evidence or think critically. Many people in the study said that they could do exactly this. It's possible they were mistaken. Still, several recent studies at the intersection of philosophy and psychology suggest people can control some of their beliefs, especially in situations where the evidence is ambiguous. And that describes many of the most important propositions people are forced to consider, from politics and careers to romance: Who is the best candidate? Which path should I pursue? Is she the one? So, it looks like we have some reason to think people are able to directly control their beliefs, after all. And if the evidence for God is similarly ambiguous, perhaps my software developer was right that he could decide to believe. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Mark Boespflug, Fort Lewis College Read more: What is love? A philosopher explains it's not a choice or a feeling − it's a practice Lincoln called for divided Americans to heed their 'better angels,' and politicians have invoked him ever since in crises − but for Abe, it was more than words Stoicism and spirituality: A philosopher explains how more Americans' search for meaning is turning them toward the classics Mark Boespflug receives funding from the John Templeton Foundation.
Times
21-05-2025
- General
- Times
Does anyone believe the promise of Paradise?
With time to kill over the weekend I wandered around the graveyard of Youlgreave village's fine 12th-century All Saints church. I love reading gravestones. This, for example, moves one almost to tears. It's for an infant, Edward Radcliffe, who died in 1796 aged ten months:'Happy babe thy days are ended,All thy mourning days by angels' guards attended,To the light of Jesus gone.' Did little Edward's unhappy parents actually believe that? We cannot know. So many of the chiselled inscriptions speak of being reunited with the deceased in Paradise one day. Did they actually believe that? With what degree of certainty? Did most ancient Greeks really, sincerely, believe in their bizarre pantheon of gods? There is so much that history will
