信念與預期Thoughts and Predictions
      人類天生渴望認同和讚美。當我們對別人懷有期望，他們通常會因此而更努力的達到這個期望，以獲得認可，進而強化自我價值感。因此，不管我們或別人，若能抱持正面的期望和讚美，將會促使我們與他人更有動力，進而提升生活與工作效能。這就是「信則有、不信則無」。
      畢馬龍效應也叫「自我應驗預言」，源於古希臘神話的一位雕塑家畢馬龍，他依據自己心目中女神的模樣，雕刻出他覺得世界上最美的女人，但因為實在太美了，他每天凝望著雕像，最後情不自禁的愛上自己雕刻出來的雕像，他開始日夜祈求，希望愛神維納斯能讓雕像成為他的妻子，最後，愛神深受他的真誠感動，於是賜與雕像生命，使她活了過來，兩人從此結為夫妻。於是，人們便將由期望產生實際效果的現象，稱為「畢馬龍效應」。心理學家認為，這是我們的預期心理，所能達到的心想事成。也就是說，我們要在腦海裡，時時有很多正向的信念，然後，真誠熱情的祈求，一定會讓我們夢想成真的。
      The Pygmalion effect gets its name from the Greek myth of Pygmalion. Pygmalion was a sculptor who carved a statue of a beautiful woman he later fell in love with. He wished that he could find a woman as beautiful as his sculpture to marry. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, granted his wish and transformed his sculpture into a living, breathing woman. Just as Pygmalion’s fixation on the sculpture allowed it to come to life, our focus on an expectation even can impact the outcome in a given situation. The Pygmalion effect is a psychological phenomenon that describes how others’ positive expectations of us can also become a self-fulfilling prophecy, improving our performance.
The Pygmalion effect happens when we expect success from someone else. We are likely to give him/her greater support in order to help him/her achieve that success. Similarly, if we believe someone has high expectations of us, we will work harder to meet those expectations. Expectations act as a prophecy because they become motivators for hard work. According to the Pygmalion effect, higher expectations lead to higher performance. Therefore, this concept suggests that when someone believes in us and expects us to succeed, we are more likely to work harder, overcome obstacles, and achieve our goals. If we constantly doubt our abilities and hold low expectations of what we can achieve, our beliefs can hinder our progress, and prevent us from fulfilling our potential. But, if we cultivate a positive mindset and set high and achievable expectations, they can really motivate our behaviors to reach those lofty expectations. In other words, we only need to make sure that we fully believe in the potential of our predictions and abilities.
Researchers have conducted numerous studies to explore the Pygmalion Effect in various settings, such as education, workplace, and athletics. For instance, research in the field of education shows that when teachers hold positive expectations for their students, they provide them with additional support and encouragement, and consequently, the students are more likely to thrive academically. Similarly, managers who have high expectations of their employees and provide them with opportunities for growth and development often witness improved performance and job satisfaction.
The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) who wrote the play Pygmalion (1913), and later in 1964, adapted to be American musical comedy-drama film My Fair Lady (《窈窕淑女》) proves to be a successful example of the Pygmalion Effect.
Summary of the story: Two old gentlemen meet in the rain one night at Covent Garden. Professor Higgins is a scientist of phonetics, and Colonel Pickering is a linguist of Indian dialects. Professor Higgins bets that, with his knowledge of phonetics, in a matter of months, he will be able to transform the cockney speaking Covent Garden flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into a woman as poised and well-spoken as a duchess. The next morning, the girl appears at Higgins’ laboratory on Wimpole Street. For a number of months, Higgins trains Eliza to speak properly. Two trials for Eliza follow. The first one occurs at Higgins’ mother’s home, where Eliza is introduced to the Freddy family. The son Freddy is very attracted to Eliza because he thinks she is a real lady. The second trial, which takes place some months later at an ambassador’s party, is a resounding success. She really behaves that she is a perfect, elegant lady in London high society.
Although the Pygmalion effect is subconscious, it demonstrates that others’ expectations can greatly influence our performance. When someone thinks highly of us, we would work hard to maintain that reputation. In this way, the Pygmalion effect does act like a self-fulfilling prophecy because our beliefs and thoughts, definitely, encourage us to take the necessary steps to meet others’ high expectations. We are much likely to push ourselves harder because we believe that we can achieve success, too. Once we understand how expectations impact the behavior of both ourselves and others, we will properly mediate those expectations for the best possible outcomes.
Then, how can we use the Pygmalion Effect to improve our confidence and performance?
1.    Set high expectations, but not too high. When we set high expectations, we need to have some stretch, but, at the same time, be realistic.
2.    Use confident language. We can express our confidence when we start thinking that we can do things. We have to believe in ourselves all the time.
3.    Celebrate achievements. “Success breeds success.” When we take the time to celebrate our achievements, it not only reinforces the accomplishments and builds our confidence, but also motivates others to want more of that success.
4.    Promote positive gatherings. We can set a positive example by using meeting time to compliment and build the confidence of our friends. During the meetings, we can share positive accomplishments they are proud of. We can also encourage our friends to compliment and express appreciation to others.
「天生我材必有用」，在浩瀚的宇宙中，我們來到這個世上，都佔有一個獨特的位置，其中，我們有長處與優點，是別人無法取代的。我們每個人都有與生俱來的優勢，經由後天的學習，轉化與加工，我們都可以將生活過得有意義，讓自己變得有魅力。我們要用開闊的心，去相信自己和別人的讚賞。自信是發自內心的力量，它無法衡量，但卻可以讓人有勇氣去面對一切挑戰。「鼓勵」也是讓人前進的動力。接受自己和別人的讚賞與鼓勵，就會信心滿滿。好的事情，美的事物，大家都喜歡。我們所呈現的一切，都是內心的信念，「相信我們真的很好」，並常常預期好人好事，都是提升我們繼續成長的重要動能，透過一句句的讚賞與鼓勵，我們真的可以預期未來，將能越來越好。