E183 - Nir Eyal: How Your Beliefs Shape What You See (And Hold You Back)
E183 - Nir Eyal: How Your Beliefs Shape What You See (And Hold You Back)  
Podcast: Know Thyself
Published On: Tue Feb 24 2026
Description: Nir Eyal joins the podcast to explore one of the most foundational forces shaping our lives: belief. What if the way you see reality isn’t reality itself, but a simulation filtered through prior assumptions, expectations, and unconscious scripts?In this conversation, we unpack the difference between fact, faith, and belief—and why most of our suffering stems from confusing the three. Nir shares powerful research on predictive processing, placebo and nocebo effects, learned helplessness, and how our expectations literally alter what we see, feel, and experience in our bodies.From secular prayer and gratitude practices to Byron Katie’s turnaround method, this episode is a deep dive into how to move from limiting beliefs to liberating ones. If beliefs are tools, then the real question becomes: are the ones you’re using serving you?EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/knowthyselfTry it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee3/10 Book release: http://geni.us/beyondbeliefAndré's Book Recs: https://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com/book-list___________00:00 Intro01:35 The Difference Between Fact, Faith, and Belief05:36 Illusions of Reality07:29 The Core of Our Perception15:52 Where to Start Enacting Change on Your Life19:53 Beliefs as Tools, Not Truths25:28 Ad: Nord VPN26:32 The Cosmic Slot Machine37:39 Spotting Your Limiting Beliefs46:39 The Prison of Our Own Making51:33 Why We Perceive Threats Everywhere1:00:18 Becoming Indistractable1:12:57 What Attention Means Today versus the Past1:26:44 The Motivation Triangle1:32:00 Closing Thoughts___________Episode Resources: https://www.instagram.com/neyal99https://nir.substack.com/https://www.instagram.com/andreduqum/https://www.instagram.com/knowthyself/https://www.youtube.com/@knowthyselfpodcasthttps://www.knowthyselfpodcast.com