Professor delivers talk on How Confidence Works

A TALK was delivered by Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin and co-director of the Global Brain Health Institute, Prof Ian Robertson at An Cosán as part of the ‘Innovating Community Health’ series last week.

‘How Confidence Works – what are its enemies, and why it is important to our health’ was the title of the second talk in the series, which is being co-hosted by Trinity College Dublin, the Academic Primary Care Centre Tallaght and An Cosán education centre in Jobstown.

The talk was delivered virtually by Prof Ian Robertson, who is also a member of the Academia Europaea and the Royal Irish Academy, a trained clinical psychologist and neuroscientist who is known internationally for his research on neuropsychology.

The talk was attended by over 100 people online, including members of An Cosán’s University of the Third Age (U3A) group, where Prof Robertson gave tips for boosting self-confidence and coping with stress.

In his talk, Prof Robertson spoke about how confidence was a self-fulfilling prophecy because of its effect on our brains. Having confidence leads us to expect success and we all have the power to boost our confidence with good habits, like simple breathing techniques.

“We all have the capacity to have more control over our emotions and to be happier,” he said. “Check your words and monitor what you say to yourself.

“Confidence is critical because it empowers action – sometimes you have to fake it until you make it. Bring to mind who you are and your core values. By affirming these values, you will build confidence.”