@philosophyminis: The ‘Batman effect’ is when you adopt an alter ego to do something differently or better. The classic experiment had the group of children do a boring task, and those who were told to be more like Batman did the task longer and better than those who were told to just be themselves. And so there is good reason to believe that self-talk, and adopting a positive alter ego, is important to achieving what we want to achieve. But if we are to use the Batman effect, we have to follow three rules. The first is distance. You have to step back from your own name. When you approach a task or a conversation, you have to think, 'What would Batman do? What would this other person do?' And not do it as you always have done. And the second is specificity. You have to make sure that your alter ego is a fully realised and definite person. You know who Batman is, and what he does. And so our alter ego has to be somebody whose qualities you can actually picture. And the third is to pick an alter ego that suits the work you need to do. Batman is known for his grit and endurance, but might not be the most helpful pick if you need to write a sonnet, or comfort a grieving friend. Pick the alter ego that embodies the qualities that you need right now. If you need to be patient, perhaps pick a monk. If you need to be charming, perhaps pick a Hollywood celebrity. The Batman effect is about the power of self-construction. There is no one way that we have to behave, or have to be. We really can make it up, and hopefully, along the way, we will make ourselves, and the world, better as well.

Jonny Thomson

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Monday 01 June 2026 14:38:29 GMT