Hacking Your Brain to Control Impostor Syndrome
“When multiple people believe in you, it might be time to believe them.” – Adam Grant
It is not a syndrome!
There is hardly anyone left nowadays who has not heard about impostor syndrome, a psychological experience where people doubt their own skills and accomplishments and fear being exposed as a fake or a fraud.
And yet impostor syndrome is not a clinical diagnosis. It is more appropriate to call it “impostor phenomenon” or “impostor experience”, according to Dr Pauline Rose Clance and Dr Suzanne Imes. These are two clinical psychologists, who introduced the term “impostor phenomenon” to describe “an internal experience of intellectual phoniness that appears to be particularly prevalent and intense among a sample of high achieving women” in their research paper published in 1978. Dr Clance argued in her 1985 book, that it is a phenomenon experienced by many and remembering that can help normalise it and overcome its potentially debilitating impact.
It is more common than we realise
As an executive coach and mentor, I often work with clients who share with me that they struggle with impostor syndrome. I hear this from both male and female senior leaders from different sectors in different countries. What all of them have in common is that they are highly accomplished individuals.
Dr Dena M. Bravata and her colleagues, who undertook a systematic review of the published literature on impostor syndrome, discovered that up to 82% of people may be struggling with the sense that they don’t deserve what they have achieved, and that they are frauds. According to researches, these feelings can be so strong, that they can contribute to increased anxiety, depression and burnout. They can also lead to impaired job performance, declining job satisfaction and an avoidance of risk-taking in careers.
Dr Bravata and her colleagues pointed out that while impostor syndrome is common among both men and women and across a range of age groups (from adolescents to late-stage professionals), its prevalence is particularly high among underrepresented minority groups.
Rebekah Bastian wrote that imposter syndrome hits underrepresented identities harder due to structural and societal reasons which include biases, microaggressions and lack of representation.
Main types of impostor syndrome
Dr Valerie Young, a co-founder of the Impostor Research Institute, described five types of impostor syndrome:
- The Perfectionists, who believe that unless they are absolutely perfect, they are failures and could have done better.
- The Experts, who feel like impostors because they don’t know everything about a particular subject or topic, or have not mastered every element of a process.
- The Natural Geniuses, who feel like a frauds because they don’t believe that they are naturally intelligent or competent enough if they don’t get something first time around or master new things easily and quickly.
- The Soloists, who feel like impostors if they have to ask for help to reach a certain level or status. For them it means that they are lacking competencies or abilities.
- The Superhumans, who believe that they must reach the highest levels of achievement possible in every area of their lives. If they don’t, they feel inadequate.
If you want to learn more about these and other types of impostor syndrome and to learn strategies for dealing with them, check out a recent article by Vanessa Van Edwards, a founder of Science of People.
Science-based hacks to tame your impostor syndrome
- Monitor your internal dialogue. Choose to stop your inner critic. Instead of thinking negatively, reframe your thoughts to give yourself more credit for your achievements. Ask yourself how you might support a friend who is doubting or minimising his or her achievements and then use the same supportive language to deal with your own internal voice. After that, give your inner critic a silly name and a ridiculous or absurd personality.
When we humanise the negative voice inside our heads in this way, it becomes more difficult to take it seriously. You can also consider using a specially designed worksheet to help identify and challenge negative thoughts related to impostor syndrome.
- Trick your brain. Strictly speaking, our body is unable to differentiate between the feeling of fear and the feeling of excitement – both are strong emotions. According to Alison Wood Brooks from Harvard Business School, individuals who reappraise anxiety as excitement end up feeling more excited and perform better. This reappraisal could be achieved by a simple self-talk (for example, by saying “I am excited” or describing the sensations in your body when you are anxious, followed by “This means that I am excited”). Practise this trick regularly when you are feeling anxious due to impostor syndrome and notice the difference it will make.
- Remember that feelings are not facts. If you find it difficult to believe your own facts (i.e. accomplishments), consider sharing your feelings with other people whom you respect and trust. This will help to reduce the sense of loneliness which comes with impostor syndrome and will offer some external perspective. As Adam Grant pointed out, “When you think others are overestimating you, it’s more likely that you are underestimating yourself. They have an outside view. They can see capacity for growth that’s not yet visible to you.”
- Collect evidence of your successes. Create a diary or a scrap book with notes about your successes, print-outs of “thank you” messages, positive feedback and testimonials about your achievements, photos or other mementoes of your wins. Look at them from time-to-time to remind yourself how others see you. These accomplishments don’t have to be huge to make a difference – a collection of many little things, taken together, will help you to feel good about yourself, your competency and professionalism. Check out this book Own Your Greatness: Overcome Impostor Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life by Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin and Dr. Richard Orbé-Austin for more tips
- Cultivate self-compassion. Intentionally show yourself some love and appreciation every day to buffer impostor feeling with kindness. You can use a simple Loving Kindness meditation, give yourself a few compliments while looking in the mirror or just do something nice for yourself – whether it is a relaxing bath, energising walk, enjoying some tea or coffee with a friend or listening to your favourite music.
- Get yourself a coach. A 2020 study by Dr Miriam Zanchetta and her colleagues and a 2022 study by Cristina Magro show that coaching is particularly effective in generating deeper awareness of impostor syndrome, facilitating cognitive reframing of experiences and fostering a growth mindset. It also helps to decrease depression, anxiety and stress associated with impostor syndrome.
You can find a collection of other scientifically proven tips, tests and worksheets for overcoming impostor syndrome on the Positive Psychology website.
You can also explore Impostor Syndrome Hacks – a free app in App Store, a podcast The Psychology of Self-Doubt and a TEDTalk How you can use impostor syndrome to your benefit.
Please consider seeking professional help ifimpostor syndrome is severely impacting your mental health and wellbeing.
Whatever you chose to do, remember the words of Adam Grant from his book Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things: “Impostor syndrome is not a clue that you are unqualified. It is a sign of hidden potential.”
Want to know more about brain hacking? My next article will follow soon!