"Fake it till you make it" (or "Fake it until you make it") is an English

aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by ...

which suggests that by imitating confidence, competence, and an optimistic mindset, a person can realize those qualities in their real life and achieve the results they seek. The phrase is first attested some time before 1973. The earliest reference to a similar phrase occurs in the Simon & Garfunkel song "Fakin' It", released in 1968 as a single and also on their Bookends album. There, Simon sings, "And I know I'm fakin' it, I'm not really makin' it." Similar advice has been offered by a variety of writers over time: In the Law of attraction movement, "act as if you already have it", or simply "act as if", is a central concept:

In psychology

In the 1920s,

Alfred Adler Alfred Adler ( , ; 7 February 1870 – 28 May 1937) was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology. His emphasis on the importance of feelings of belonging, family constellation and birth orde ...

developed a therapeutic technique that he called "acting as if", stating that "if you want a quality, act as if you already have it". This strategy gave his clients an opportunity to practice alternatives to dysfunctional behaviors. Adler's method is still used today and is often described as "role play". "Faking it till you make it" is a psychological tool validated by

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developme ...

research. A 1988 experiment by

Fritz Strack Fritz Strack (born February 6, 1950) is a German social psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Würzburg. Strack is a member of Germany's National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for psychology ...

showed that mood can be improved by holding a pen between the user's teeth to force a smile. However, a 2022 study on the usage of forced smiling and neutral expressions to counter emotional distress found it less effective than other strategies of emotional regulation.

References

{{Reflist Aphorisms Failure Slogans 1968 neologisms

In psychology

See also

References