The Role of Self-Efficacy in Cognitive Performance




Believe in Your Brain: How Confidence Boosts Memory and Thinking Skills
By Marilyn Abrahamson, MA, CCC-SLP

Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you were there—and then blamed it on having a “bad memory”? 

If so, you’re not alone. But what if simply believing that your memory is failing could actually make it worse?

Surprisingly, research shows that your beliefs about your brain may have a big impact on how well it works. In this post, we’ll look at how self-confidence, or self-efficacy, plays a powerful role in how we remember, think, and process information—and how the Long Live Your Brain program is helping people tap into that power.

How Believing in Your Brain Makes a Difference

Self-efficacy is a fancy term for believing in your own ability to succeed at something. When it comes to memory and thinking skills, that belief can be a game-changer.

Studies have shown that people who think their memory isn’t good tend to perform worse on memory tasks, even if there’s no medical reason for it. 

It’s what’s known as a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you expect to forget, you probably will. The good news? The opposite is also true. When people believe they can remember things better, they often do.



A New Way to Use Your Brain

The Long Live Your Brain program is a 6-week online brain training program designed for women in midlife and beyond—whether they’re currently experiencing the brain fog that often accompanies this stage of life or simply want to stay sharp and support a healthier, better-functioning brain.

One of the main ideas behind the Long Live Your Brain program is this: If your brain has changed, you have to learn to use it differently. That could mean changes due to aging, stress, illness, or just the natural wear and tear of daily life. Instead of expecting your brain to work the same way it always has, the program teaches you how to work with it, not against it.

This shift in thinking opens the door to real improvement. Participants learn how to pay attention more effectively, how to remember names and details, and how to take in new information in ways that actually stick.

Tools That Work with Your Brain, Not Against It

After building a foundation of healthy brain habits (like sleep, nutrition, and physical activity), we dive into hands-on memory techniques. These include things like:

  • Mnemonic devices – turning information into rhymes, acronyms, or vivid images
  • Sensory strategies – using sight, sound, or movement to help memories stick
  • The Method of Loci – an ancient memory trick that uses mental “maps” to store information

These tools aren’t just for students or memory champions. They’re practical, effective techniques anyone can use to improve how they think and remember—at any age.

Building Confidence, One Thought at a Time

At the heart of the LLYB program is self-efficacy: helping people believe that they can improve their brain function. As participants experience success using the techniques we teach, their confidence grows. That boost in confidence leads to more motivation, more effort, and—yes—even better results.

It creates a positive cycle: I believe I can do it → I try harder → I succeed → I believe in myself even more.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to brain health, what you believe matters just as much as what you do. By changing the way we think about our thinking, we can unlock new levels of performance, clarity, and confidence. Programs like Long Live Your Brain show us that it’s not just about fighting memory loss—it’s about discovering how capable we truly are.

Your brain is powerful. Believe it.


MARILYN ABRAHAMSON, MA, CCC-SLP is a brain health education specialist and coach, and co-creator of the ©Long Live Your Brain program, an online group brain health coaching program for people striving for more reliable memory, attention, and clearer thinking. She is the creator of BrainTrain, online and in-person brain training group classes. In addition, she is the co-author of an e-workbook entitled Life Happens... Chemo Fog: Regain Clarity and Build Cognitive Reserve. More information can be found at www.longliveyourbrain.com. Marilyn has been a Speech-Language Pathologist since 1987.

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