Thought Experimentaton

A professor, Sheldon Solomon, Ph.D., at Skidmore College in New York has been collecting evidence that thoughts affect behavior. For thirty years.

Solomon pointed out in a Soul Beliefs class that our thoughts are also influenced by the cultural milieu.

After World War II, the general population believed integrity and dignity defined a person. Solomon said that today, money and being skinny define men and women. “America has ten times more depressed people today than there was after World War II,” said Solomon.

He collected evidence by experimenting. Volunteers would be asked to think different thoughts, even of death, while their vitals were being measured.

The data shows that fear of death causes anxiety. And more anxiety is caused when your mind is believing that you need money and a certain body type to be happy. The anxiety leads to terrorists like thinking. “People get defensive,” said Solomon.

Solomon’s data is convincing the field of psychology. But what was really interesting about the whole thing was the experimentation.

The experiments occurred all around the nation and included many people. Solomon had volunteers come in and they were hooked up the machines that measured their inner reactions. Solomon would ask them to think a certain way and they would.

So, why don’t we experiment ourselves? On our own?

If our day is going badly, why can’t we sit down and change our thinking, just to experiment?

If our relationship is going sour, why not experiment? Why not look at good images, happy images? Why not surround ourselves with positive and courageous people? They’ve been shown to affect us positively.

We can change unsatisfied thoughts into satisfied thoughts. We can always find something to be satisfied about, even it if our pet’s love, or the sun shiny day.

Experimentation is valuable. We will find that good thoughts are related to good behaviors.

I’ve found though, that when I think I’m running out of good thoughts, I have to go further, to God, infinite Mind, having no lack of good thoughts.

Mind has a universal outlook, an inclusive spirit, and pure unselfish goals. We can take those thoughts and make them ours. They are ours.