One day, my students sat me down and ordered me to write this
book. They wanted people to be able to use our work to make their
lives better. It was something I’d wanted to do for a long time, but it
became my number one priority.
My work is part of a tradition in psychology that shows the power of
people’s beliefs. These may be beliefs we’re aware of or unaware of,
but they strongly affect what we want and whether we succeed in
getting it. This tradition also shows how changing people’s beliefs—
even the simplest beliefs—can have profound effects.