It’s too soon to conclude one way or the other, but it appears SCIENCE stumbled upon evidence that confirms the validity of Inner Game.
People suffering from anxiety or traumatic stress can be taught to modulate their own brain activity, claims a new study.
The recent study showed that people were able to make the change after just a couple of ‘neurofeedback’ sessions .
The technique could be used as an affordable way to help people control their own stress disorders, according to the study from Tel-Aviv University.
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Using the updated tool, 42 participants were given visual and audible feedback according to the brain activity in their amygdala.
They were then trained to reduce this using a variety of mental strategies.
The participants were able to modulate the electrical activity in their own brains using this method.
In another experiment, involving 40 participants, researchers showed that they were able to actually improve the regulation of their behavioural emotion by lessening their own amygdala activity.
Emotions aren’t like IQ. The intractability of IQ is well-researched. Emotions, though, are more malleable, and at least in short-term bursts can be controlled or regulated. This is the premise that underlies the concept of Inner Game, aka state control, aka outcome independence, aka self-confidence:
Poor inner game — what is known by other jargon as your state of mind or your self confidence — is inwardly directed. Good inner game is outwardly directed. It’s the difference between berating yourself for not winning over others and berating others for not winning over you. The men who are naturally good with women live outside their minds — they are externally focused. The downside is that they are usually not very introspective, but who cares about that shit when you’re getting pussy? Introspection is for dainty young women in sundresses picking buttercups in meadows. […]
If your inner game isn’t solid then what you present to the outside world won’t match what you are feeling inside. Your inner game is reflected through your body language and voice tone, so however clever your routines they will strike a false note if you don’t internalize the confidence you are trying to portray. You will betray yourself with negative thinking. […]
Fake it till you make it means faking that internal confidence as well as the external behavior. This is not as hard as it sounds. Every time you feel self-doubt and talk yourself into inaction, yell “Stop!” out loud, and your brain will reboot. You then consciously reframe your thought processes to put the burden of approval seeking on those around you.
What the latest study above is hinting at is the truth of the classic Game dictum “fake it till you make it” (or, my preferred version: “fake it till you create it“). Self-confidence, irrational or otherwise, will take a man far with women. And now it appears we have the ability to self-regulate our emotions, which means that beta males struggling with women can learn to calm their nerves, refocus their energy outwards, reduce approach anxiety, and stop wallowing in self-pity when they think some girl they like is out of their league.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when my fear is gone I will turn and face fear’s path, and only I will remain.
