Episode Summary: The Neuroscience of Confidence | Ian Robertson

Podcast: 10% Happier with Dan Harris
Host: Dan Harris
Guest: Ian Robertson, Professor Emeritus in Psychology at Trinity College
Release Date: February 17, 2025

1. Introduction to Confidence

Dan Harris opens the episode by highlighting confidence as a pivotal mental attribute that enhances various aspects of life, including wealth, happiness, health, intelligence, motivation, and innovation. He introduces Ian Robertson, a renowned neuroscientist and author, to delve deeper into the science behind confidence.

2. Defining Confidence

Ian Robertson clarifies that confidence is distinct from optimism and self-esteem. While optimism is about believing in positive outcomes and self-esteem involves self-evaluation, confidence bridges these by tying belief to action.

• Confidence Components:
  • Can Do: Belief in one's ability to perform a task.
  • Can Happen: Belief that the desired outcome is achievable.

“Confidence is essentially a stance towards the future that makes it more likely that the future you desire will happen.”
— Ian Robertson [06:55]

3. The Four Quadrants Model

Robertson introduces a four-square grid illustrating different belief states and their psychological impacts:

1. Can Do & Can Happen (Confident):

   • Effects: Increased dopamine, lowered anxiety, enhanced performance, and greater persuasiveness.

2. Can Do & Can't Happen (Frustration):

   • Effects: Elevated stress through norepinephrine, leading to anger and impaired thinking.

3. Can't Do & Can Happen (Anxiety/Depression):

   • Effects: High anxiety, lowered mood, and reduced initiative.

4. Can't Do & Can't Happen (Apathy):

   • Effects: Low dopamine, resulting in diminished motivation and high anxiety.

“Confidence is what makes your brain work better. It boosts your performance, it elevates your mood, and it is contagious.”
— Dan Harris [00:00]

4. Health Benefits of Confidence

Confidence not only boosts mental states but also has significant health benefits:

• Reduces Anxiety: Confidence acts as an antidote to anxiety by redirecting focus towards positive outcomes.
• Lowers Cortisol Levels: Chronic anxiety increases cortisol, which is detrimental to both brain and body health.
• Longevity: Studies show that confident individuals, such as Oscar and Nobel Prize winners, tend to live longer.

“Anxiety is the greatest corrosive of confidence. The greatest antidote to anxiety is confidence.”
— Ian Robertson [13:42]

5. The Oscar Effect

Robertson explains the phenomenon where Oscar and Nobel Prize winners live longer than their nominees, attributing it to heightened confidence that alleviates chronic stress and anxiety.

“Oscar winners live on average four years longer than Oscar nominees. That’s got nothing to do with wealth and everything to do with being taken out of the rat race of being of competitive evaluation and being secure in that sense of a golden ticket.”
— Ian Robertson [18:37]

6. Building Confidence through Attention and Action

Controlling Attention:

• Mindfulness: Training attention to focus on positive outcomes can reduce anxiety.
• Gratitude Practices: Listing daily positives shifts focus from negative to positive aspects of life.
• Breathing Techniques: Controlled breathing lowers norepinephrine levels, reducing anxiety.

Taking Action:

• Small Goals: Setting achievable goals builds a sense of success and enhances confidence.
• Overcoming Uncertainty: Taking the first step amidst uncertainty can lead to unexpected positive outcomes.

“If you can control your attention, you can control your feelings and your thoughts to some extent.”
— Ian Robertson [27:18]

7. Dealing with Failure and Mindset

Robertson emphasizes the importance of attitude towards failure:

• Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset: A fixed mindset views abilities as innate and unchangeable, hindering learning from failure. Conversely, a growth mindset embraces failure as a learning opportunity.
• Embracing Failure: Failure is a critical teacher that provides more insights than success.

“If you have a fixed theory of your abilities or yourself, then you will give up.”
— Ian Robertson [42:45]

8. Reframing Anxiety as Excitement

Transforming the perception of anxiety can enhance performance:

• Labeling Technique: Describing nervousness as excitement changes the emotional response and improves focus.
• Psychological Research: Studies show that labeling arousal as excitement can lead to better performance in stressful situations.

“The symptoms are the same in anxiety, anger, and excitement. They only become a particular emotion when you put words on them.”
— Ian Robertson [69:11]

9. Influence of Gender, Race, and Class on Confidence

Robertson discusses how negative stereotypes related to gender, race, and class can undermine confidence:

• Stereotype Threat: Awareness of negative stereotypes (e.g., women in engineering) activates anxiety and reduces performance.
• Impact on Representation: Such stereotypes lead to underrepresentation in various fields due to diminished confidence.

“If you tell a woman who's aware of this stereotype that are being tested for their visual spatial ability...immediately part of their brain...are going to be thinking about, oh my goodness, am I going to fail?”
— Ian Robertson [73:07]

10. Strategies to Overcome Confidence Saboteurs

To mitigate the impact of negative stereotypes and external saboteurs:

• Self-Affirmation: Reinforcing core values through exercises can reduce ego threats and anxiety.
• Value Anchoring: Focusing on intrinsic values provides security and reduces dependency on external validation.
• Behavioral Adjustments: Adopting behaviors that counteract stereotypes (e.g., assertiveness in meetings) can enhance confidence.

“Defining and affirming your core values anchors your ego in something bigger, reducing feelings of threat.”
— Ian Robertson [65:51]

11. Conclusion and Additional Resources

Ian Robertson wraps up by recommending mindfulness and self-awareness practices to maintain healthy confidence levels. He also shares insights from his book, How Confidence Works, and encourages listeners to explore his previous works for a deeper understanding of the science behind confidence and stress.

“Values are eternal in the way that the human self is not. If you can disengage yourself from your own self, from your own ego...values go on forever.”
— Ian Robertson [75:19]

Further Reading:

• How Confidence Works by Ian Robertson
• The Stress Test by Ian Robertson
• The Winner Effect by Ian Robertson

Learn More: Visit ianrobertson.org for more information and resources.

This episode provides a comprehensive exploration of confidence from a neuroscientific perspective, offering actionable strategies to build and maintain healthy self-belief while navigating societal pressures and personal challenges.