Example: Mass Hypnosis through Confirmation Bias

In list of make-believe stories above, can you recognize where situation from item #3 comes from? It's from story of Adam of Eve. This alone makes this article controversial, but I needed an obvious example.

There are probably millions in United States alone that, every Sunday, have impossible stories reinforced to point where they become merged with real life, to become literally indistinguishable from reality by believer.

It is pure hypnosis through confirmation bias that causes a seemingly logical, rational, person to accept and believe something that they know cannot be true. Even children understand that snakes can't talk, and yet...

Many believers would rather admit that talking snakes are not possible while STILL maintaining belief, than change belief!

Want proof? Ask any devout Christian if snakes can talk, and they will likely tell you that "back then, it might have been possible, because...", and then everything else that follows will be just as pure fantasy as story itself!

THIS is power of confirmation bias when it is continually reinforced. People will violently oppose truth, even when faced with unequivocal fact. (But note: confirmation data need not be true either; it just needs social ratification!)

An Equal Opportunity Deceiver

It should be noted that confirmation bias is a constant enemy we all share. It's a common problem we experience in science, in religion, in advertising, and in everyday perceptions.

Eugene Schwartz, in Breakthrough Advertising; page 131, states:

"If you can channel tremendous force of his belief - either in content or direction - behind only one claim, no matter how small, then that one fully-believed claim will sell more goods than all half-questioned promises your competitors can write for all rest of their days. This channeling of belief is so powerful that, if properly directed, it will even support otherwise-absurd claims."

Notice The Last Sentence

Even smart people can be led to believe stupid things with right pacing of belief by utilizing technique of confirmation bias. (It's true in psychology; it's true in religion; it's true in hypnosis; it's true in advertising.) Would you like to know more about covert influence?

Continue to Here: "Seducing The Buyer" http://www.SeducingTheBuyer.com/MT/

Copyright 2005 Dorian Greer, Editor - Seducing The Buyer.

Continue to Here: "Seducing The Buyer" http://www.SeducingTheBuyer.com/MT/

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10. Test different subject lines to see which ones draws most traffic to your web site. Also, read FAQ before posting a message or ad anywhere.