#1 Mindset Expert: Simple Mindset Shifts That Transform Your Body, Energy, & Life
December 20, 2025
AI Summary
5 min readThe Settings in Your Mind Are Real—And You Can Change Them
Dr. Alia Crum, a Stanford professor who runs the Mind and Body Lab, has spent her career proving that what you believe about your body changes how your body actually responds. In her famous milkshake study, participants drank the exact same 350-calorie shake on two separate occasions. When they were told it was an indulgent 620-calorie shake, their bodies released the hunger hormone ghrelin at a rate three times faster than when they were told it was a sensible 140-calorie shake. Same shake, different label, different biology. The lesson is not about positive thinking. It is about understanding that your mind has settings—and those settings are constantly communicating with your body.
Mindset as a Mechanical Setting, Not a Vague Attitude
Crum defines mindsets as "settings of the mind"—core beliefs about the essence of something and why it matters. These are not true or false. They are oversimplified, highly evaluative judgments that your brain makes to simplify a complex world. But they matter because they create reality through four mechanisms: they change what you pay attention to, how you feel emotionally, what you are motivated to do, and how your body responds physiologically.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:08) **Introduction: The Power of Settings in Your Mind** - Mel introduces the concept of "settings in the mind" and Dr. Aaliyah Crum's research on how beliefs shape biology.
- 2 (05:15) **Defining Mindset as "Settings of the Mind"** - Dr. Crum explains that mindsets are literally the settings in your mind, shaped by core beliefs about the essence of things.
- 3 (12:14) **The Famous Milkshake Study: Mindset Changes Biology** - Dr. Crum explains the study where the same milkshake was labeled as "indulgent" or "sensible."
- 4 (20:00) **Real-World Application: Overcoming a Fear of Flying** - A production assistant shares how she used the phrase "this is just an old setting in my mind" to overcome a decade-long fear of flying.
- 5 (26:06) **The Four Mechanisms of Mindset** - Dr. Crum breaks down how settings in the mind control attention, emotions, motivation, and physiology.
- 6 (38:50) **The Placebo Effect: Mind and Matter** - Dr. Crum explains the placebo effect and how it proves that belief activates the body's self-healing systems.
- 7 (46:07) **The Migraine Study: Belief vs. Biology** - A study on migraines shows that a real pill labeled as a placebo works significantly worse than a placebo labeled as the real pill.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Today, you are going to learn scientifically proven ways you can use your mind to upgrade your life, starting with your body, your energy, and your confidence.
In this episode, Stanford professor and leading psychology and mindset researcher Dr. Alia Crum reveals the science behind how your thoughts shape your body, your energy, and your health.
She’s proven over and over again that your thoughts about exercise, stress, and food are working against you – and how you can change them.
She’ll explain that this isn't just about thoughts, but that you have settings in your mind that you need to change.
This is not positive thinking. This is repeatable, evidence-based science behind mindset, motivation, and physical change.
You’ll learn:
-The one mindset shift that makes healthy habits feel easier instead of exhausting
-The groundbreaking studies proving your beliefs can change your biology
-How to make workouts easier so you get fitter, faster
-How the “settings in your mind” influence your metabolism, hunger, stress, and recovery
-How to make healthy eating easier so you feel your best every day
-How to stop fighting your body and start working with it
-How to feel more energized, capable, and consistent without forcing yourself
-How to overcome your worst fears so you don’t let anything hold you back
If you are tired of criticizing yourself, tired of your fears and anxiety, and tired of never seeing the results you deserve, Dr. Crum is going to teach you, step by step, exactly how to change the settings in your mind to achieve anything you want.
Once you hear this, you’ll start noticing shifts in places you never expected.
For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page.
As a gift to listeners of The Mel Robbins Podcast, Mel has created a free 20-page workbook to help you make 2026 a great year. This workbook is designed using the latest research to help you get clear about what you want and empower you to take the next step forward in your life. And the cool part? It takes less than a minute for you to get your hands on it. Just sign up at melrobbins.com/bestyear.
If you liked the episode, check out this one next: How to Create a Successful Mindset: The Science of Passion and Perseverance
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