The Incredible Importance of Personal Science

Barry Marshall, an Australian physician and microbiology researcher, wasn’t buying it. Marshall believed that stomach ulcers were not merely the byproduct of a hectic life or an overly spicy dinner. Instead, he believed bacteria caused ulcers. More specifically, Marshall believed Helicobacter pylori caused ulcers.

There was, however, a problem with this theory.

Marshall and his lab partner were the only ones who bought into the crazy idea. Despite his belief, Marshall could not prove the link between bacteria and ulcers in his lab experiments on pigs, and his grant money was running out. Meanwhile, thousands of people continue to die from stomach cancer each year.

The Mad Scientist

Fed up with the situation, Marshall decided to take matters into his own hands and conduct a personal science experiment of the boldest kind.

In July 1984, Marshall held a beaker of cloudy, brown liquid swimming with Helicobacter pylori and prepared to take a swallow. He “drank it in one gulp then fasted for the rest of the day.”

In the words of physician Siddhartha Mukherjee, Marshall had swallowed a carcinogen to create a precancerous state in his own stomach.

Three days later, Marshall started feeling nauseous. On Day 5, he vomited and continued doing so for three days straight. All the while, his colleague took samples of the bacteria in Marshall’s stomach lining and recorded the physiological changes as Marshall began to develop a severe episode of gastritis? in his stomach. After two weeks of self-induced hell, Marshall had the needed proof and started taking antibiotics.

Luckily he made a full recovery. Within a month, Marshall and his colleagues had submitted his experiment and results to the Medical Journal of Australia for publication. Not only had they proven that Helicobacter pylori were the cause of stomach ulcers, but they had also revealed an essential precursor to stomach cancer. Marshall and his lab partner, Robin Warren, received the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their efforts.

The Power of Personal Science

Barry Marshall is a real-life mad scientist. He drank a cancerous cocktail in the hopes of discovering scientific truth. His story is one of many mentioned in the fantastic book, The Emperor of All Maladies (audiobook). (1)

Marshall is an extreme case of what my friend Josh Kaufman calls “personal science.”

Personal science refers to executing small experiments on your own to discover new ways to solve problems and get results in your life. While typical studies are conducted on a large scale and published in academic journals, personal science experiments involve a single patient (you). They are focused on delivering convenient and valuable pieces of information.

Marshall used personal science to further his career goals, whereas you and I may use secret science to build a new health habit or improve our performance at work. The purpose of these mini-experiments is to discover what gets you real-world results. As a writer and researcher who tries to blend science-based ideas with practical insights, I believe this philosophy of self-experimentation is fundamental.

Why?

Because no matter how much science and theory you understand, you can never get results in your own life unless you dare to take action.

Unleashing Your Inner Mad Scientist

Personal science isn’t an excuse to do something reckless. I don’t, for example, recommend drinking a test tube of precancerous bacteria. I do, however, believe that executing your own experiments and being willing to try things will improve your life.

Here are a few reasons why:

Personal science forces you to move past planning. You must try new things to accelerate learning, develop new skills, and get valuable results. So often wait to take action because we believe we need to read or research more. What if, as an alternative, we spent less time trying to find the best strategy and more time testing our already-established processes? It can be easy to forget that practice is often the most potent form of learning.

Personal science is low risk. Unlike Marshall’s crazy cancer slushie, nearly any experiment you or I will conduct is typically low risk. Rarely do we face life-or-death, cancer-in-the-stomach type of risks. Usually, the barriers to our progress are discomfort, uncertainty, inconvenience, and the fear of criticism. Personal science forces us to move past these emotional hurdles and see them for what they are: limiting beliefs.

Here are some examples:

• I wish you would finally write your book. Experiment with cutting out an activity you enjoy to make time for this critical goal. What is the potential risk? Are you worried that you’ll miss this season of your favorite TV show?
• Trying to eat healthier? Create a bright-line rule and experiment with eating one vegetable per day, no matter what. What is the potential risk? Will you have a long day and have to make a batch of asparagus at 10 p.m.?
• Want to be an early riser? Experiment with waking up at 5 a.m. this week. What is the potential risk? That you’ll feel tired for a week?

Personal science teaches you the key to actual problem-solving. We often read books and rely on research studies to answer our problems. Knowing where to get information is helpful, but the key to good problem solving is not to have someone else do the work for you. The key to good problem solving is a willingness to try things, experiment thoughtfully, and do the job. (2)

Step Into the Arena

We all live our lives in different laboratories. Your corner of the world—filled with your experiences, biology, environment, friends, and beliefs—is a separate petri dish from mine. Plenty of fundamentals apply to all Petri dishes, but no matter where you find yourself, you must be willing to experiment if you want to get a result.

Let your mad scientist out now and then. Step into the arena and put yourself through the fire. The only truth is what works for you. (3)