The Expectation Effect: The Impact of Mindset on Your Health – The Happy Menopause Podcast

Season 4 • Episode 6
David Robson, Award-Winning Science Writer

Our mindset shapes every facet of our lives, and our expectations have a direct impact on every experience. Of course, we all know that looking on the bright side promotes positivity, but did you know that that our expectations can significantly influence our health, wellbeing, fitness and even our weight and the way that we age? As we work our way through the challenges of midlife and the menopause, it’s really good to know that at least some of the power is in our hands and this episode is full of good advice about how to make the most of that.

This summer I discovered The Expectation Effect, the latest book by David Robson and what I learned was fascinating, so I was thrilled when he agreed to come on the podcast for this World Menopause Day special on cognition.

David is an award-winning science writer specialising in the extremes of the human brain, body and behaviour. His second book, The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life is a journey through the cutting-edge science of how our beliefs can create self-fulfilling prophecies in every area of our lives.

We discuss all the different ways that your expectations can influence your health, your wellbeing and your life. David shares some extraordinary research about the impact of our expectations on our appetite, the number of calories we burn, your ability to lose weight, the level of fitness you achieve when training and even how long we live. He explains how very small changes can make a world of difference to our experience of a situation, a challenge or a health problem and it’s completely mind-blowing.

It’s incredibly empowering to discover just how much we can influence our own health and wellbeing, especially at this time of our lives when we can often feel as if control is slipping away from us. I promise you’ll find this a very helpful episode!

Show Notes

Visit David’s website to find out more about his work.

Pick up your copy of his books, The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life and The Intelligence Trap: Revolutionise Your Decisions & Make Wiser Decisions

Follow David on Twitter and Linked In

David Robson is an award-winning science writer specialising in the extremes of the human brain, body and behaviour. After graduating with a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University, he worked as a features editor at New Scientist for five years, before moving to BBC Future, where he was a senior journalist for five years. His writing has also appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Aeon, Monocle, Men’s Health and many more outlets. In 2021, David received awards from the Association of British Science Writers and the UK Medical Journalists’ Association for his writing on misinformation and risk communication during the COVID pandemic. David’s first book, The Intelligence Trap, was published in 2019, and and has been translated in 15 languages. His second book is The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life, a journey through the cutting-edge science of how our beliefs can create self-fulfilling prophecies in every area of our lives.