The internal narrator also tells us, “This is what I’m like—these are the things I like to do, these are the ways I respond to certain situations.” Knowing this about ourselves is the first step toward change, toward affirming that our past behavior does not necessarily determine our future behavior. Even models we learn about through the media can help us to make aspirational changes. And personal affirmations (“I am generous, I am kind”) can help us to become what we’re not. A famous old psychology experiment showed that people who act as if they’re happy end up being happy.
