270. Make Belief: The Mindset Shifts That Make Your Communication Stronger

What It Covers

Nir Eyal, author of *Beyond Belief*, joins Matt Abrahams to examine how beliefs function as tools rather than fixed truths, and how reframing attention, identity, and limiting beliefs can directly strengthen communication performance and personal motivation.

Key Questions Answered

• •Attention filtering: The brain receives 11 million bits of information per second but consciously processes only 50 bits — just 0.000045% of reality. What gets filtered through that narrow keyhole is determined entirely by existing beliefs, meaning two people experiencing identical events construct completely different subjective realities based on their belief systems.
• •Variable reward in communication: BF Skinner's intermittent reinforcement research shows that unpredictable rewards increase response rates more than consistent ones. Applied to communication, speakers should embed novelty, mystery, and surprise throughout a message — not just at the opening — because the brain is wired to pursue unresolved uncertainty over predictable information delivery.
• •Structure plus novelty: Cognitive fluency and novelty must coexist in effective communication. Clear structure reduces mental load and helps audiences follow along, while novel content maintains engagement. Communicators should signal upcoming surprises explicitly — framing what's coming as unexpected — to sustain attention without sacrificing comprehension through excessive complexity.
• •Belief journal and illeism: Two evidence-backed techniques counter limiting self-beliefs. Keeping a belief journal builds a documented record of actual successes to counter distorted self-assessment. Illeism — referring to yourself in the third person — creates psychological distance from self-criticism, producing the same compassionate perspective one would offer a friend rather than harsh internal judgment.
• •Byron Katie's four-question test: When a limiting belief surfaces, apply four sequential questions: Is it true? Is it absolutely true? Who are you when holding this belief? Who would you be without it? This process reveals whether a belief serves you, then invites a "turnaround" — trying on the opposite perspective to expand the portfolio of available beliefs.