It feels good to be around authentic people.  Whatever their individual personality and temperament, they come across as honest and genuine.  They don't pretend, and they don't hide behind a contrived, artificial image.  Instead, they show up with a commitment to being their true selves, allowing you to see them as they really are,  In a world where so much of what we see and experience is highly contrived and manipulated, authenticity carries extra value.  It comes across like a breath of fresh air.
 
While authenticity comes more easily to some of us than others, we can all work on developing our authenticity muscles.  Here are 5 ways to be more authentic in how you live your life.

Most people are aware of the placebo effect, when a treatment with no medicinal value results in healing due to the patient's belief, trust, and confidence in that treatment.  Fewer people are familiar with the corresponding nocebo effect, which is defined as:  "a harmless substance having harmful, undesirable, and adverse effects on health." 

It's important to realize just how powerful the nocebo effect can be, particularly in the form of words.  There are documented cases where a misdiagnosis has caused someone's health to decline rapidly, even to the point of death.  We truly need to guard against unwarranted negative beliefs that compromise our health and well-being.  

Here are some areas to watch out for, where the nocebo effect can crop up through negative language and interactions.