Do you know your limits?

A very interesting article in Scientific American shows how our abilities can expand beyond what we would think of, only by the expectations of it.
The placebo-effect in medicine is well known to us, but this studies take us further into the world of imagination:
"There seems to be a simple way to instantly increase a person’s level of general knowledge. Psychologists Ulrich Weger and Stephen Loughnan recently asked two groups of people to answer questions. People in one group were told that before each question, the answer would be briefly flashed on their screens — too quickly to consciously perceive, but slow enough for their unconscious to take it in. The other group was told that the flashes simply signaled the next question. In fact, for both groups, a random string of letters, not the answers, was flashed. But, remarkably, the people who thought the answers were flashed did better on the test. Expecting to know the answers made people more likely to get the answers right. "

(Maybe this do not mean that people that always think they are right actually is closer to the truth but it could have some interesting potential in some levels.. )

.."Our cognitive and physical abilities are in general limited, but our conceptions of the nature and extent of those limits may need revising. In many cases, thinking that we are limited is itself a limiting factor. There is accumulating evidence that suggests that our thoughts are often capable of extending our cognitive and physical limits..."
...
"Expectancies, such as expecting that one’s work will bring about health benefits, are capable of producing physiological outcomes. Learned associations, such as the association between being an Air Force pilot and having good vision, can alter other cognitive processes, such as visual perception. Meanwhile, placebo effects observed in clinical research work via expectancies and learned associations created by fake operations, sham drugs, etc. Such expectancies and learned associations have been shown to change the chemistry and circuitry of the brain. These changes may result in such physiological and cognitive outcomes as less fatigue, less immune system reaction, elevated hormone levels, and less anxiety. The interventions that resulted in better performance in a knowledge test or better vision are placebos outside of the clinical context. However, the chemical and neural mechanisms by which they operate are probably similar."

In other words, having low expectations will make us perhaps do a lower performance as this effect goes both ways. Other studies have indicated that we are more likely to fail if others or/we expect us to fail. ("others" may be the parents, friends,co-workers or spouses) 
If you find yourself in a environment where little or nothing is expected from you it could also be damaging your self-esteem. This may be at work or school where the tasks is not in proportions to your real skills, or in other specific situations like if you are ill and others "overdo" things to help you out.  

We can not always count on our thinking-power to solve all kinds of challenges, but it sure make a difference on the outcome in many cases. That brings to my mind the words of Jesus from Luke 17;5,6 :"Now the apostles said to the Lord: “Give us more faith.”Then the Lord said: “If ​YOU​ had faith the size of a mustard grain, ​YOU​ would say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea!’ and it would obey ​YOU."  

The proofs that our faith actually makes a difference should make us think a little longer into the ways to achieve more faith.