Suggestion: what power does it have on us?

After reading a book, watching a movie, hearing the news, or talking about a tragic event, we are more likely to fear that it will happen to us. For example, if we think about a person who was robbed entering their house, we will generally think that the probability of it happening to us is greater than what we estimated before.

If we watch a horror movie where the protagonist is followed by a red car (driven by a murderer), how do you think we will react when we realize that behind us on the road there is a vehicle of that same color? It is not about imagination, being pessimistic or exaggerating, but about something called “suggestion.”. In this article we will tell you more about it.

What is suggestion?

If we stick only to the dictionary definition we could say that Suggestion is a psychological process through which people are manipulated through a scene, an image, a word or a situation.. But let’s delve a little deeper into this concept.

The first time the term was discussed was in the 19th century, when researchers such as William James indicated that suggestion was used in a very restricted sense. This means that the use of this “technique” was related to saying one idea to suggest another. And this was taken advantage of by the great orators!

A few years later, thanks to the masters of hypnosis (including Clark Leonard Hull) knowledge regarding this action expanded. The theory says that a person follows a pattern or instruction based on what they hear or see. Therefore, when we hear tragic news, we probably think about it for a while and overestimate the possibility of it happening to us.

What power does suggestion have?

This technique not only serves to make us afraid or feel in danger, it can also be used to “suggest” that we do or say something in particular. The mind is extraordinary, for the positive and the negative… and in many cases it does not allow us to act as we want. The theory of free will defended by religious people does not agree with the hypothesis of the power of suggestion. In these examples we explain why:

1. It makes us believe that we are smarter

At the University of Washington, researchers gave a group of people a pill while telling them that it served to increase their intelligence. In reality it was a “placebo” pill and did not increase cognitive ability. However, the patients increased their states of alertness and attention, obtaining better results in the tasks that the researchers gave them.

2. It makes us “sick”

If, for example, we put a person in a room and throw smoke (like those at parties) telling them that it is a toxic gas, they will probably feel short of breath, believe they are going to die, and experience the symptoms of being poisoned.

Without reaching such extreme cases, we can cite another case: when the news talks about the Zika virus, when we see a mosquito we are terrified and if one bites us we can even have fever and pain in the joints as if it were really a mosquito. infected insect.

3. It makes us work better

The Hawthorne Effect is one of the best known in the field of suggestion. It is based on the idea that when we are observed we act in a different way. So employees work hard and effectively when they think the boss is watching them.

Tests have been carried out with security cameras that did not work (but the “observed” did not know it) and reached this conclusion. If we believe that someone is watching us… we will do everything better!

4. Change our routine

The power of suggestion is such that it makes us modify our habits. For example, after seeing the news about a group of thieves that attack those who enter the house after 10 at night, we may rush to arrive at 9:30.

5. Condemn an ​​innocent man

If before entering a suspect’s examination room we hear someone say “I’m sure the thief had a beard,” it is more than likely that we will point out someone who has hair on his face, even if we have never seen him or until a few years ago. minutes we were sure that it was hairless. Suggestion changes our memories in such a way that what we experienced is forgotten.

We do not mean with all this that we are alien to making decisions or that there is a higher plan changing our opinions. But It is necessary to understand what role suggestion plays in our daily lives and how we can deal with it. Much of what we believe may just be a figment of our imagination!

6. Amulets

Amulets also usually have a great power of suggestion. Who hasn’t ever thought that because they didn’t wear their lucky charm something was going to go wrong? It is common, especially for students, to go to an exam with the same pen, or a picture of a Saint, or the same clothes, or any object that they believe will bring them luck. This valuable object makes us think that we will be luckier or more capable of carrying out an action. Without a doubt, another form of suggestion that we can observe on a daily basis.

7. “No one passes with that teacher”

Those who have gone through high school or university have heard on more than one occasion the phrase “no one passes with that teacher.” What happen? That we condition ourselves in such a way that no matter what happens, we interpret it negatively and are incapable of studying and passing. Our suggestion is so great that we consider the battle lost beforehand and after the exam we think: “well, it wasn’t that big of a deal.” But since we were already suggested, we had not studied with sufficient interest. So, on many occasions it is not the teacher who does not approve, it is our suggestion.

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