Wouldn't it be cool if you can control the way you feel, think and act by eliciting desired response from your own BRAIN?! So even if you don't "feel" happy, you can trick your brain to feel happy. That's where priming comes in.
Priming is the implicit memory effect in which exposure to a stimulus influences response to a later stimulus. It is a technique in psychology used to train a person's memory both in positive and negative ways.
Example
- I take one bite from a chocolate bar. I now desire another bite even more than before I took the first bite.
- A stage magician says 'try' and 'cycle' in separate sentences in priming a person to think later of the word 'tricycle'.
Using it
- I start noticing other cars just like the one I bought.
- Use a prime subtly so the person does not realize they are being primed, thus influencing them towards a desired outcome.
- Be careful of obvious priming which can cause a reverse-priming reaction.
Excerpt from <changingminds.org>
Real Life Experiment
Here's an experiment way back 1996. As you read this, remember that the words you know and often hear yourself talking should be carefully selected as it will influence yourself!
An example of this was done by Bargh et al. in 1996. Subjects were implicitly primed with words related to the stereotype of elderly people (example: Florida, forgetful, wrinkle). While the words did not explicitly mention speed or slowness, those who were primed with these words walked more slowly upon exiting the testing booth than those who were primed with neutral stimuli. Similar effects were found with rude and polite stimuli: those primed with rude words were more likely to interrupt an investigator than those primed with neutral words, and those primed with polite words were the least likely to interrupt
Excerpt from <Wikipedia.org>
Self Priming
Now let's use this knowledge to our personal advantage. We can using priming to influence our own mind and get the result we want. This is "self priming"
Feel happy. Putting a pen in your mouth horizontally can force you to form a smile expression and, as a consequence, you will feel happier. You'll also find jokes funnier.
Feel confident. Opening up – taking up physical space e.g. stretching, standing taller, leaning back, putting our hands behind our heads, legs stretched out and so on. Any physical movement that actually makes us take up more space and look bigger in fact.
Primates and humans both do this to express dominance and power - just look at the triumphant pose of any winning athlete at the end of a race.
The New Zealand All Blacks' pre match Haka ritual is another example of this - it works to intimidate the opposing team but importantly, also serves the All Blacks themselves, allowing them to self prime dominance and power. Cuddy notes that not only does “Your body language shape who you are” but also that “Your body can shape the mind.”.
Lie back in your chair, put your hands behind your head and your feet on the table and this will trigger a release of testosterone into the bloodstream after a few minutes. When you need to take on an alpha role, assuming this pose will get your body producing more testosterone beforehand to prepare it and make you feel more confident.
Excerpt from <marketingsociety.com>
