By most accounts, confidence is a prerequisite for workplace success. What if it could be trained, even subtly rewired, using something as simple as a smartphone app?
That’s the premise behind a first-of-its-kind study from the University of California, Riverside, where psychologists tested whether workers could reshape their self-image through a digital tool that reinforces positive beliefs.
The findings, published in Computers in Human Behavior Reports, suggest they can — and that belief systems, often assumed to be deeply entrenched, may be more pliable than previously thought.
“We were curious whether a simple intervention could nudge people toward a stronger sense of self at work,” said Thomas Sy, UC Riverside psychology professor and the study’s senior author. Central to the study was a smartphone app designed to reinforce positive workplace beliefs through simple visual cues.
The idea behind the app, called MindTAPP, is deceptively simple. Users are shown photos of themselves alongside affirming words like “hardworking,” “happy,” and “reliable.” Over time, this pairing — known as associative conditioning — may help shift how people see themselves on the job. In the study, 159 young adults, most of them college students, used the app without knowing its psychological aim. Before and after, they completed surveys gauging their self-perception as employees.
Using MindTAPP feels more like scrolling through a photo-sharing app than engaging in training. Participants uploaded casual selfies, which the app then paired with a rotating set of positive traits. With each swipe, they saw themselves alongside words like “productive” or “team player.” The interactions took only minutes, but over time, this repetition subtly reshaped the way users perceived their professional strengths.
According to the researchers, the change was measurable. Participants emerged with more favorable views of their workplace abilities and a heightened sense of self-efficacy — the belief that their efforts can influence outcomes.
“We’ve long known that people internalize cultural stereotypes about what makes a ‘good worker,’” said Laura Ashlock, UC Riverside psychology doctoral candidate and paper co-author. “But people also hold beliefs about themselves, often unconsciously. What we found is that those beliefs can be reshaped.”
The technique draws from decades-old principles in behavioral psychology, but its application here is modernized — gamified, portable, and user-directed. That may be part of its appeal — and its power.
How long the effects last remains an open question. Without reinforcement, the positive shift appears to fade within 24 hours. But Sy is optimistic that repeated use could lead to more enduring changes. “This isn’t just a pep talk,” he said. “It’s a tool that, used over time, could fundamentally shift someone’s workplace identity.”
Sy has filed a patent and made the app freely available. For Sy, the project points to an underexplored frontier in employee development. While companies invest heavily in training programs aimed at knowledge and behavior, few target mindset.
“Information and skills matter, of course,” Sy said. “But belief systems influence motivation, persistence, even how people interpret their work experience. They’re foundational—and yet we rarely touch them.”
That may be changing. As digital tools increasingly mediate professional life, from coaching to wellness to performance tracking, the possibility of belief-centered training is drawing interest. What makes MindTAPP novel, researchers argue, is that it puts belief-building in the hands of the user — no instructor required.
“You can be the architect of your own mindset,” Sy said. “We’ve never shown, until now, that a person could do that using a digital tool.”
The implications stretch beyond workplace productivity. Mindset influences not only how people perform but also whether they speak up, advocate for themselves, and pursue new roles. And in a professional world where self-perception often shapes opportunity, the ability to rewire that perception — even slightly — may be no small thing.
“This isn’t just about delivering a quick jolt to your thoughts,” Sy said. “It’s about helping people believe in who they are — and who they have the enduring power to become.”
