by Patrick Appel
So why might athletes continue to use it? Well, sometimes lying to yourself can lead to good things. Thinking you are better than you are (for whatever reason) might actually *make* you better than you are. Here was the conclusion of Joanna Stark and Caroline Keating’s 1991 study, “Self-Deception and Its Relationship to Success in Competition“: “The results were consistent with the proposition that self-deception enhances motivation and performance during competition.”
(Photo: Laura Ludwig and Sara Goller of Germany in action during the Women’s Beach Volleyball Preliminary match between Brazil and Germany on July 31, 2012 in London, England. By Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
The Dish 