The Pygmalion Effect

Our self-imposed expectations alter how we behave and therefore where we end up. A famous study examined the grades of children before and after they wore fake glasses to see whether it would influence how the teachers treated them or how these students performed themselves. What they found was that their grades actually improved because teachers implicitly associate glasses with intelligence. It shows how our belief system will unconsciously impact how we choose to act in a way that will confirm our pre-existing beliefs.