Third-person trick rewires your brain fast 🧠

Hey handsome.

Happy New Year.

2026 is off to a great start here at Mens Health Secrets.

Now picture this...

You're about to walk into the biggest meeting of your career.

Heart pounding like a jackhammer...

Palms sweating like you just ran a marathon... 🏃‍➡️

Mind racing faster than a Formula One car...

But then something strange happens.

Instead of saying "I can do this"...

You whisper: "John, you got this."

And suddenly... your mind’s perspective shifts.

The University of Michigan's Mind-Blowing Discovery [6]

Dr. Ethan Kross just dropped a bombshell that's making neuroscientists' heads spin [1]... 🫨

When you talk to yourself in the third person...

(like calling yourself by your own name)...

Your brain's stress centers - including the amygdala - literally calm down within seconds [1].

The fMRI brain scans don't lie...

Third-person self-talk reduces emotional brain activity by 50% compared to "I" statements [2].

And...

Third-person self-talk significantly improves self-control and decision-making. [5]

It's like having a secret CIA operative inside your head...

...who knows exactly how to defuse your mental time bombs.

Why "I" Statements Keep You Stuck

When you say "I'm stressed"...

Your brain thinks YOU ARE the stress.

But when you say "Mike is feeling stressed"...

Your brain suddenly sees stress as something happening TO you...

Not something you ARE. [4]

It's the difference between drowning in the ocean...

...and watching the waves from the shore. [3]

Three Power Phrases To Use Today

1. "[Your name], this too will pass" [7]
   
   

2. "[Your name] has handled worse than this"
   
   

3. "[Your name], what would Doc Brown do?" (Yeah, I went there 😎)

Real-World Win From The Field

Last week, reader Tom from Dallas was mid-panic attack before closing a $2M deal... 💰

He remembered this technique...

Said "Tom, you've prepared for this moment"...

And closed the deal like a boss.

His hands stopped shaking in under 30 seconds.

Your 7-Day Mental Mastery Journey Starts Now

Over the next week…

we reveal the complete psychological toolkit… [8]

that separates average men…

from elite mental giants...

…even Einstein would approve. 🤓

In one week we’ll cover:

Email #1: The One trick that ends mental loops fast

Email #2: Learn to distance self, and crush bad thoughts quick

Email #3: How Self-talk ignites instant courage

Email #4: Self-distancing kills night-time worry spirals

Email #5: How Third-eye perspective gives you MORE concentration

Email #6: How to heal old wounds fast. Hint: talk yourself past it

Email #7: Lock-In this new self-distancing habit forever

Email #8: BONUS How to use the CIA's "Movie theatre trick" and get instant clarity... on big life-decisions

These aren't just tips...

They're new psychological WARFARE skills…that rewire your brain for peak performance.

So…

Are you ready to become the man who stays cool under pressure?…

While everyone else loses it?

Let's do this. 🙌

To your new psych-warfare skills,

Mens Health Secrets 
–Live Past 100

P.S. Tomorrow I'll show you the one trick that ends mental loops in 60 seconds flat... miss this and you'll keep spinning your wheels like a hamster on Red Bull...

P.P.S. Boring disclaimer: Always check with your doctor... before you start any new health protocol or treatment. This includes any recommendations from our newsletter (Mens Health Secrets). This information is for entertainment and educational purposes only... and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Mens Health Secrets is not legally responsible for any actions you do... or not do from reading our newsletter.

P.P.P.S. >>> Go here to subscribe to our Mens Health Secrets YouTube Channel. If you haven't yet... leave a comment... and level up your Mens Health knowledge to live longer.

P.P.P.P.S New Skool.com community coming online soon. Come break "virtual bread" and level-up… with other like-minded men age 40 and up. This is your tribe. Join now. Perks of joining now? It’s Free for LIFE. Price activates Q2 2026.

Medical References:

[1] Moser, J. S., Dougherty, A., Mattson, W. I., Katz, B., Moran, T. P., Guevarra, D., Shablack, H., Ayduk, O., Jonides, J., Berman, M. G., & Kross, E. (2017). Third-person self-talk facilitates emotion regulation without engaging cognitive control: Converging evidence from ERP and fMRI. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 4519. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04047-3

[2] Kross, E., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., Park, J., Burson, A., Dougherty, A., Shablack, H., Bremner, R., Moser, J., & Ayduk, O. (2014). Self-talk as a regulatory mechanism: How you do it matters. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106(2), 304–324. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035173

[3] Orvell, A., Kross, E., & Gelman, S. A. (2017). How "you" makes meaning. Science, 355(6331), 1299-1302. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaj2014

[4] White, R. E., Kuehn, M. M., Duckworth, A. L., Kross, E., & Ayduk, Ö. (2019). Focusing on the future from afar: Self-distancing from future stressors facilitates adaptive coping. Emotion, 19(5), 903–916. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000491

[5] Dolcos, S., & Albarracin, D. (2014). The inner speech of behavioral regulation: Intentions and task performance strengthen when you talk to yourself as a you. European Journal of Social Psychology, 44(6), 636-642. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2048

[6] Emotion & Self-Control Lab. (n.d.). Home. University of Michigan, Department of Psychology. Retrieved January 1, 2026, from https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/emotion-selfcontrol-psych/

[7] Bruehlman-Senecal, E., & Ayduk, O. (2015). This too shall pass: Temporal distance and the regulation of emotional distress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(2), 356–375. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038324.

[8] Baldwin, C. R., Schertz, K. E., Orvell, A., Costello, C., Takahashi, S., Moser, J. S., Ayduk, O., & Kross, E. (2025). Managing emotions in everyday life: Why a toolbox of strategies matters. Emotion. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/emo0001492