A question for all the second comings of Columbus and Magellan - have you ever explored any ancient structure during your getaway vacations? Of course, you have. Well, isn't there always this one path or room whose sole purpose is to scare the bejesus out of you?
No, chuck your cliched ghosts and friendly witches in the bin. We're talking about those eight-legged demons with the power to lay you out just by walking in front of you. Spiders. Now you've loosened your pockets to be where you are right now. You won't abandon fort despite the special appearance of the devil, right?
So how do you continue your journey with this legit threat hanging over your heads? You tell yourself that nothing is going to happen. You convince yourself that you're qualified enough to leap over this seemingly unassailable dilemma.
Although this crawling 'dilemma' has petrified the living soul out of you, you realise that there are bigger things at play and act accordingly (sorry for the disturbing visuals, hope you sleep well at night😇). Well, this phenomenon is nothing but 'Faking it, until you make it'.
Believe it or not, there are many real-life scenarios that can be just as intimidating as encountering a spider. It's a common belief that faking it until you make it, can be a competent countering strategy in such scenarios. But what exactly does this phrase mean? Is there any scientific reasoning to validate its usefulness? Is it just a hoax, or a skill to boast? Folks, that's what we're here to discuss about. So let's get crackin'!
Excuse me 'Fake it till you make it' sire, who are you? Also, are you for real?
In layman's terms, this famous phrase suggests you to pretend to be the boss of an activity until you actually reach the boss level yourself. Okay, maybe that was gaming-heavy. Let's try the scientific way. 'Fake it till you make it’ refers to the act of consciously enforcing an attitude or feeling of competence that you don't possess in the present, by acting like you do until it becomes your reality. While most people associate it with confidence, the faking part requires a bit more depth in order to succeed. But more on that later (suspense mwahaha😈). The million-dollar question though - does it actually work?
In short, yes. Absolutely yes.
Pretending to have the capability to do something can actually take you to the end stage where you start doing that something on your own. And it's not just Arrowhead certified (although the highest order of verification should be enough😉). There's this concept known as the Hebbian Principle in psychology and neuroscience which basically states - what fires together, wires together. So whenever we do something, the neurons in our brains are put into action mode. They fire up a signal to other neurons to form a network. While these networks are very weak in the beginning, as the activity is repeated, the connections become stronger (consistency, I hate you😤). So, neurologically speaking, we can train our brains to consider activity A as a trigger to activity B.
Boy that was a lot of science.
At least now you know that faking it directly connects to making it in the longer run. But there are still a bit more layers to the plot of this story.
Chapter 2: Can we apply this every where, every time?
Let's begin with the short answer again. No. Absolutely no. You cannot use a hammer to fix a leak. So there will be occasions where applying this technique could lead you to a dead end. But there would be instances where faking it could turn out to be a godsend technique. To make it easier for you, we've compiled some ‘’Dos and Don'ts” around the faking part. Keep them in mind and you'll be one step closer to making it.
The Dos
Fake a smile
You guys already know this - we want you to be as happy and productive as you can be. Then be a lamb and stick a pen in your mouth and smile please? Sounds weird? Well, according to a 2012 study, involved participants were asked to stick pens/chopsticks in their mouths to initiate either a neutral expression or a smile (yours is cuter😉). Following this, they were given some stressful multitasking activities. When the results were evaluated, it was found that the smiling group completed their tasks with considerably lesser stress levels than the other group. Conclusion? Faking a smile actually lightens your mood, allowing you to work in a much more productive manner than you would normally. Now we know why Joker was so successful in irritating Batman all the time.
Let's pretend to know
You know how you have to be the most qualified person on your campus to land a decent job? No? Not relatable? Well, that's because it's complete BS.
But does that stop your mind from undermining you and your potential. Nope. This is exactly why you have to pretend. Because by the time you actually start believing in yourself, you'd have had a ton of opportunities. A study published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology found that expecting to know the right answers can actually improve your performance in the actual test. So just fake it buddy. You'll either succeed and receive a huge confidence boost or you'll get something new to learn. Win-win😇.
It's time to dress up for your dream job
Why dress like a slob when you can dress for your dream jobs? While a materialistic lifestyle is the last thing we'd encourage, they do have certain advantages, don't you think? Just try wearing a crisp formal shirt with matt black trousers. Maybe throw on a blazer to sweeten the deal. Try working in this attire. You'd surely experience a shift in your productivity. That is because looking like someone you aspire to be, automatically induces confidence and a general good feeling inside you.
Even an experiment conducted by Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where people were asked to dress a certain way while solving puzzles, concluded that the dress you wear has a direct influence on your performance. And now you know what to wear tomorrow. (Fashion by Arrowhead, coming soon💃).
The Don'ts
There is an imposter among us
Ever heard of the imposter syndrome? The person suffering from it can feel like they're faking their success even if they're actually not. You've adopted pretending so viciously that even the achieved victory feels unworthy. You start doubting your feats. You hide from others. You fear that one day, they'll discover the true face of your being, which according to you, is a fraud. Even the most deserving professionals can fall into this trap if they don't watch their steps. You could be the best singer on earth but if you've faked it for too long, no performance of yours will ever make you feel satisfied. You'll be the best for the world, but never good enough for yourself.
So use this technique in controlled measures.
Actors, not liers
Faking is not lying. Never consciously choose to lie to someone under the garb of faking. This philosophy wants you to believe that you have the power to achieve everything. However, in no sense does it ask you to believe that you also have the skills to complete it. Su re, learning on the job is one thing. But if you're completely wrong for the job, just accept your shortcomings and start working on them. A newbie software developer can say that he can handle high-level JAVA problems even if he's not there yet, because he knows what he's gambling with. That's faking. However, you cannot promise to be a JAVA guru if your expertise is in dental science. That's forgery.
Now that we've rallied across what faking it till you make it actually is, and what to keep in mind when you're applying it, it's time to see how the magic unfolds irl.
Having used it to enhance her own personality, renowned social psychologist, author and speaker, Amy Cuddy, shares her unique views on the philosophy of faking. Her ideology gracefully bridges the gap between mind and body, giving the popular opinion about this phenomenon, a humane touch. You ought to give this a go.
The Power Pose
According to Amy, the body language and non-verbal gestures of a person can hugely affect our daily routines. But what exactly are these individualistic non-verbals? Don't you open your arms wide enough to hug an elephant when you're at your highest? And shrink yourself into a ball during the lowest? (All of us have, Susan ;_;). According to a study conducted by Jessica Tracy, even blind people, who haven't witnessed anyone celebrating in such a way, tend to enact the 'pride pose' on winning something.
This feeling of power is actually a combination of both psychological and physiological occurrences. Powerful people not only tend to be confident and asserting (governed by the testosterone hormone), but they're also much more efficient in handling stress (due to their impressive cortisol levels). But is there a way to artificially mimic these levels? We've already seen how our minds can impact our bodies. Can we do something with our bodies and impact our minds?
Again, the short answer would be yes. Absolutely yes. You fake it. You strike the power pose. In your mind, and if needed in real (that's right Jonny, I'm the boss now😤). And it's not just plain old believing. We've thoroughly established the importance of these gestures (yes, by 'we', I mean Amy). So all you gotta do is to do whatever the hell it takes for you to become powerful. Do it even if you're terrified and paralysed. Do it until you reach a point where you realise that “Oh my god, I'm doing this😲”.
Cuddy's a living embodiment of how faking it in the right proportion can take you to the top. Even after suffering from a traumatic head surgery and listening to people call her "wasted potential", she persevered and went to Princeton. All along though, she had a small voice in her head telling her she wasn't good enough. Pushed to the edge, she decided to quit Princeton. But, as fate would have it, her angel advisor met her just a night prior to her speech and the million-dollar advice given was to fake it, to push through even when her knees wobbled.
And you know the best part? Amy Cuddy ended up doing it. She is now a bestselling author and an award-winning Harvard lecturer with a PhD from, yepp you guessed it, Princeton University.
Bottom-line
Fake it till you make it is legit. But there are many more layers to the equation. Use it as a vitamin supplement, not as a life-support drug, and you'll be just fine. And we'll reiterate this one thing, as we have in all of our previous blogs. You have the potential. You've got what it takes. Faking it is just a trick. The real magic is still in your own hands. Be the magician you were meant to be or the star you want to be. We'll forever be your cute and efficient assistant.
