The Coué method, you know ? Developed at the end of the 19th century by the French psychologist and pharmacist Émile Coué de la Châtaigneraie, it works on the principle of auto-suggestion. Concretely, before each test (an exam or a competition, for example), it is a question of repeating positive and stimulating sentences, such as “I will get there”, “I am capable of it”, “I am the better “,” I trust myself “…
Regularly questioned by health professionals, the Coué method does not (yet) convince the medical community. Yet, according to a new British study published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Psychology, self-persuasion would be really effective.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers (under the direction of Prof. Andrew Lane, University of Wolverhampton, Great Britain) conducted a psycho experiment on a large sample of 44,742 volunteers. They had to play a video game and exceed a certain score. In total, they were entitled to 4 tries.
Self-suggestion and positive visualization
Result: the researchers observed that the volunteers who practicedautosuggestion and self-encouragement (“I can go faster, I can exceed this score …”) obtained better results than those of the control group. In the same way, the volunteers who worked from images (here, it is a question of mentally visualizing its success) also collected more satisfactory scores.
On the other hand, the participants who used the “if … then” technique to motivate themselves were a little less efficient. This technique (which consists of imagining how we will feel when we have reached our goal) is especially effective in people who want to lose weight.
Really effective, the Coué method? This is what this new study suggests. We try ?
Unusual: looking at yourself in a mirror after a shower boosts self-confidence.
