A recent study found that “our tactile perception is affected and can be altered by our mental processes.” In fact, “If we sincerely believe that our index finger is five times bigger than it really is, our sense of touch improves.” Conversely, when the study’s participants were signaled that their index finger was five times smaller than it was, “their sense of touch deteriorated accordingly.” As Hubert Dinse explains, “Our study provides another building block supporting the idea that such top-down influences of beliefs on perception do indeed exist. The beliefs we hold do indeed change how we experience the world.”