July 23, 2025 • 25 mins
Ever wonder why your brain seems to play tricks on you? Welcome to the podcast that pulls back the curtain on the psychological principles secretly shaping your daily life. From the mind-bending Nocebo effect—where negative beliefs can actually make you feel worse—to the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon that makes new information pop up everywhere you look, we’re diving deep into the quirks of brain science and cognitive bias.
But that’s just the beginning. Discover how anchoring bias can hijack your decisions, why the 80/20 principle means you’re probably working way too hard, and how the law of attraction and similarity-attraction principle are quietly drawing certain people and experiences into your orbit. This isn’t just another psychology podcast—it’s your backstage pass to understanding human behavior, hacking your subconscious mind, and making smarter choices every day.
If you’re ready for a wild ride through the hidden forces that shape your reality, hit play and prepare to see the world—and yourself—in a whole new light. Subscribe, share, and join the conversation—because once you know how your mind works, you can finally make it work for you.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mindbenders-brain-teasers-philo-psych--6019641/support.
But that’s just the beginning. Discover how anchoring bias can hijack your decisions, why the 80/20 principle means you’re probably working way too hard, and how the law of attraction and similarity-attraction principle are quietly drawing certain people and experiences into your orbit. This isn’t just another psychology podcast—it’s your backstage pass to understanding human behavior, hacking your subconscious mind, and making smarter choices every day.
If you’re ready for a wild ride through the hidden forces that shape your reality, hit play and prepare to see the world—and yourself—in a whole new light. Subscribe, share, and join the conversation—because once you know how your mind works, you can finally make it work for you.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mindbenders-brain-teasers-philo-psych--6019641/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you ever had one of those moments where I
don't know, you learn a new word, something, maybe a
bit obscure, and then suddenly you start hearing it everywhere.
It's like popping up all over the place.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Oh yeah, absolutely all the time.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Or what about this a doctor mentions a possible side effect, right,
even for something you logically know is probably nothing like
a sugar pill. Okay, and then you actually start feeling
it like real physical sensations.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, that happens too. It's wild, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
It really is. Our brains, they're just these incredibly complex,
sometimes really mysterious machines. You know, they shape our reality
in ways we barely even notice.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
That's exactly it. And here at the deep dive, that's
what we're all about, peeling back those layers, trying to
cut through all the noise and you get to the
core insights exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
So today our mission is to really take a deep
dive into what is it six fascinating psychological.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Things, six core phenomena. Yeah, and we're not just gonna
like scratch the surface. The idea is to really unpack
these concepts, make them clear, make them act.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Right, so you listening can walk away feeling not just
you know, smarter about it, but actually more empowered about
how your own mind works.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah, definitely more empowered. We're going to explore how your beliefs,
like your deepest poliefs, can actually shape your physical reality.
It sounds out there, but it's true, and how your
past experiences they kind of subtly anchor how you see
things now, and even how focusing your attention can well
almost magically attract new opportunities, though it's not really magic,
(01:31):
as we'll see.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Okay, this sounds like a really fascinating journey into well,
into our own heads.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
It is.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
We're going to unpack some really cool concepts, things like
the no Sebo effect ever heard of that, it's like
the Placebo's evil twin kind.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Of sort of yeah, and the bottom Minehoff phenomenon. That
thing you mentioned about seeing the word everywhere, so.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
That's what it's called. Okay, and anchoring the eighty twenty
principle that one sounds familiar.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
The Peretto principle very useful, and then the law of
attraction but maybe not how you.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Think right, going to get past the hype I bet.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Exactly, And finally the similarity attraction principle why we kind
of stick to our tribes.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
This whole deep dive. It really feels like a shortcut
to understanding ourselves better. Right, Getting these powerful tools for
daily life and you get properly informed without just being
buried in information.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
That's the goal, clear, actionable understanding.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
All right, let's dive in. Where do we start the
power of belief and expectation.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Let's do it, and yeah, first up is the no
cebo effect. It really shows just how powerful our expectations
can be. It's the flip side of something most people
have heard about.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Okay, yeah, the placebo effect. Let's just quickly recap that,
because it's pretty amazing on its own, right. It's when
you take something like a sugarpill, maybe a saline shot,
something that chemically does absolute nothing, totally inert exactly. Yeah,
but because you believe it's going to help, say, your headache,
your body actually responds. Your headache might fade or even
(03:00):
disappear completely mm hm.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Or maybe you're struggling to sleep, someone gives you a
sleeping pill to sugar again and suddenly you drift off easily.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Yeah, your symptoms get better, not because of chemicals, but
because you expected them to. Yeah, your belief, your expectation
of relief, actually triggers a physical response. Yeah, it's like
the mind healing the body.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
It really is a testament to that mind body connection.
But what's truly fascinating and maybe a little unsettling, is
that the reverse can happen too. That's the nocebo effect.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Okay, so the opposite of placebo. How does that work?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, imagine a different scenario. You go to the doctor
get a new prescription. As they hand it over, they
carefully list potential side effects. You know, you might feel
a bit nauseous, maybe some dizziness, perhaps.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
A headache, standard procedure yet, right, But let's.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Say, unbeknownst to you, the pill is actually again just
a sugar pill, no active ingredients. Okay, Yet, within a
few hours or maybe a day, you start feeling queasy,
a bit light headed. Maybe that headache they mentioned starts
creeping in.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Whoa, So you feel the side effects even though the
pill can't cause them.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Exactly, You experienced the very symptoms the doctor warns you about,
purely because your mind was primed to expect them. Your
negative expectation literally created a negative physical reality.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
That's that's kind of wild, isn't it. It really hammers
home how connected our minds and bodies are.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
It really does, and the why behind it is key.
If we genuinely deeply believe something will happen, good or bad,
our physiology often follows suit.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
It's not just a passing thought then, No, it's deeper.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
It's like a subconscious expectation that your body then works
to fulfill. Your brain anticipates it and sends signals to
align with that anticipation. If it expects nausea, it can
trigger pathways that mimic nausea.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Wow, the implications of that are.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Huge, they really are. It underscores the immense, almost scary
power our beliefs have in shaping our physical and psychological reality.
We're not just passive observers. Our mental state is an
active player.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
So what's the takeaway? How do we use this?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Well, the practical takeaway is massive. Yeah, it highlights how
critical it is to sort of master your own mind
to actively manage your expectations.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Okay, but you can't just ignore real symptoms or doctor's warnings.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
No, absolutely not. This isn't about delusion or ignoring genuine
health issues. It's about understanding that your mental framework can
either help or hinder you. It can amplify well being,
or it can actually manifest discomfort.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
So it's about awareness precisely.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Awareness is key. By knowing about the no sebo effect,
you can consciously choose how you frame things before a
medical procedure. For example, you could consciously visualize a positive outcome.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
And maybe mentally filter out the list of potential negatives,
treat them as just possibilities, not predictions.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Exactly, remind yourself that your body wants to heal. This
awareness helps protect you from falling into those negative, self
fulfilling prophecies. It's just understanding how your mental state impacts
your physical experience.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Makes you think, doesn't it How much of what we
feel day to day might be influenced by these ingrained
expectations or anxieties we've picked up.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
It's a profound question, and it leads nicely into our
next section, which is all about how our brain filters
and frames the reality we see every day.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Okay, filtering and framing this sounds interesting. Where are we
headed next?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
We're going to talk about something I bet everyone listening
has experienced, even if they didn't have a name for it.
It's called the baider Minehoff phenomenon.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Bader Minehoff. Okay, intriguing name.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
What is this?
Speaker 1 (06:33):
The seeing the word everywhere? Thing?
Speaker 2 (06:36):
That's the one. It's also called the frequency illusion, which
is maybe a bit more descriptive.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Okay, frequency illuses, right, So it's that experience you learn
a new word, maybe something kind of specific, like I
don't know, Petter Core, the smell of rain on dry
earth nice one. Yeah, and then bam, suddenly it's in
articles people are saying it. It's like it's the word
of the week.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Mm hmm. Or you finally watch that TV show everyone's
been talking about.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
And then suddenly everyone seems to be talking about it
right now where you see ads for it, mentions online.
It feels uncanny, like the universe suddenly put it on
repeat just for you.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
That's the feeling. But it's not the universe, and it's
not really magic. That's the Betamindhoff phenomenon or frequency illusion
in action. It's a cognitive bias, a.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Bias, okay, So it's our brain doing something specific exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
It's not that the word or the show is actually
appearing more often. It was probably always there. It's that
your brain is suddenly paying attention to it.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
How does that work then, why does it happen?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Well, our brains have this built in bias towards information
we've recently learned, or stuff that suddenly become relevant to us.
This new piece of info, the word, the show, maybe
a car model you're thinking of buying.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Oh yeah, the car thing.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Definitely experience that right, That new info gets like priority processing.
Your brain flags it as important. Now it's like you've
installed a new recognition software just for that.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Okay, so it's actively looking for.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
It sort of when you first encounter it. Your brain
does the sort of extra work it wants to confirm
and reprocess this new data. This makes you hyper aware,
so you notice it every single time it appears. You
just didn't see it before because it wasn't flagged as relevant.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I can totally see that. I remember learning about confirmation
bias itself in a psych class, and then for weeks
I saw examples of confirmation bias everywhere in the news,
in conversations, even in my own thinking. I thought, wow,
this concept is really taking off.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
But it was your brain newly attuned to the concept,
highlighting it for you.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Exactly It really changes how you see things, doesn't It
Like trends or what seems popular. What we notice is
so heavily influenced by what our brain is primed to
look for.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
It really is. It shows our perception isn't just a
clean window onto reality. It's filtered by our attention and
recent experiences. Our brain is constantly asking is this important
to me now, and then showing us evidence that's fascinating.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
And you said this leads into another bias?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
It does. Yeah, it connects really well to our next topic, anchoring.
This one also messes with our perception of reality, especially
when it comes to judging value or what's normal.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Anchoring. Okay, I think I have a sense of this one,
but laid out for us sure.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Anchoring is basically how that first piece of information we
get about something, the anchor tends to heavily influence all
our later judgments about it, especially when we're trying to
figure out, say, how much something is worth or what's
a typical amount.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
So the first number or the first impression.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Sticks, it sticks disproportionately. Yeah, think about this. A friend
mentions they bought some really cheap shoes. Okay, in your head,
cheap shoes might mean I don't know, maybe thirty quid,
forty bucks something like that. But maybe your friend's anchor
for cheap shoes is way higher based on where they
usually shop. So when they say they got them for
one hundred and fifty pounds, you're thinking, whoa, that's.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Not cheap at all, right, because my anchor, my starting
point for cheap is totally different from their exactly.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Your brains are anchored to different reference points based on
your past experiences. Once that anchor is dropped, it's surprisingly
hard to pull it up and adjust properly. We tend
to make judgments relative to that first anchor.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
That makes sense. Can you give another example, maybe something broader?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Absolutely? Gas prices are a classic one.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Oh yeah, definitely right.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
If you grew up somewhere or during a time when
gas was consistently, say two dollars a gallon, that becomes
your anchor. That's what feels normal in your head. So
when you see gas at like three fifty or four
dollars today, your immediate reaction is, wow, that's really expensive.
It feels like a huge jump from your baseline. Okay,
but contrast that with someone who grew up where gas
(10:43):
was typically five dollars a gallon, maybe high taxes, remote area, whatever.
For them, seeing gas at four dollars feels like a
sweet deal. They feel like they're saving money, getting a bargain,
even if it's objectively higher than the first person's anchor.
Their anchor is five dollars, so anything less feels good.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Ah, that explains so much. Yeah, like why sometimes older
people might complain more about current prices for.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Things exactly, It's often because their anchor, their reference point
for normal, was set much lower decades ago, when the
economy was totally different. A dollar for gas might be their.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Anchor, So them even three dollars feels outrageous, not just expensive,
but like fundamentally wrong.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Precisely, it's not about them being unreasonable. It's their perception
being shaped by that deeply ingrained initial anchor. And this
doesn't just apply to prices.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Where else does this show up?
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Oh? Everywhere negotiations, the first offer made often becomes the anchor.
Salary is the first number mentioned, heavily influences the final agreement.
Even first impressions of people That initial piece of information
can color how we interpret everything else.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
They do or say, okay, so Knowing about this is powerful?
How do we counteract it?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Awareness is the first step. Always knowing that anchoring exists
helps you question that initial information. Ask yourself, is this
first number reasonable? Where did it come from? What other
reference points could I consider?
Speaker 1 (12:05):
So consciously trying to find other anchors.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Yeah, or deliberately considering alternatives, Like before making a judgment
on a price, maybe quickly think of three wildly different
possible prices, one much lower, one much higher. It can
help dislodge that first anchor a bit.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
That's a great practical tip, like actively re anchoring yourself exactly.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
It helps you assess value more objectively, not just based
on the first thing you heard. It makes you more
discerning in your decisions.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Fantastic. Okay, so we've covered belief filtering, anchoring. What's next
on our deep dives maximizing effort?
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yep, let's talk about getting the most bang for your
buck effort wise. We're moving on to a principle that's
all about efficiency and impact. The eighty twenty principle.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Ah, the eighty twenty rule or the prereto principle. Right, Yeah,
I've definitely heard of this one seems simple but powerful.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
It really is super simple concept, but the implications are
huge for productivity, business, even just daily life. It comes
from Vilfreda Pareto and Italian economists way back in nineteen
oh six.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
What did you notice?
Speaker 2 (13:06):
He noticed that about eighty percent of the land in
Italy was owned by just twenty percent of the population,
and since then people have seen this kind of imbalance everywhere.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
So the core idea is what eighty percent of results
come from twenty percent of the effort roughly.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Yeah, it's not always exactly eighty twenty. It's more of
a rule of thumb, but it suggests that a large
majority of the outcomes the eighty percent, often stem from
a small minority of the causes or inputs the twenty percent.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Okay, So it's about identifying that crucial twenty percent exactly.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
It's a strategic tool to help you focus your energy
where it counts the most, finding the levers that give
you the biggest results.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Let's make that concrete. How does this play out and
say business?
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Okay, classic business example, eighty percent of your company's revenue
probably comes from about twenty percent of your customers.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Your most loyal maybe highest paying ones usually yeah, or
maybe eighty percent of your profits come from twenty percent
of your product lines.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Knowing this tells you where to focus your marketing, your
customer service, your R and D.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Right makes sense. Invest in the twenty percent that drives
the eighty percent, or flip it.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Maybe eighty percent of customer complaints come from twenty percent
of product laws or service issues. Find that twenty percent
fix it, and you solve the vast majority.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Of the problems. Okay, that's clear for business. What about
outside of work, like learning?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Great question? In learning, the principle suggests that maybe eighty
percent of what you actually retain comes from only twenty
percent of your study methods.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
So not all study techniques are created equal.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Probably not. Maybe that crucial twenty percent is the active
stuff like flash cards, practice quizzes, actually using the language
or skill rather than just passively rereading notes for hours
on end.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
So find the vital few techniques that give you the
biggest learning payoff.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
You got it. Identify those high impact activities that yield
the majority of the results.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
And I guess this applies to personal life too.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Relationships Maybe, oh definitely, think about your social network, your community.
Where does most of your feeling of support and connection come.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
From probably yeah, probably from a small handful of really
close friends or family, my core group.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Right. Often eighty percent of that feeling of belonging in
support comes from maybe twenty percent of the people you know.
It's a reminder to really nurture those key relationships.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
That's a nice way to think about it. Invest energy
where it really matters emotionally or even like your closet. Huh.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yes, the closet example is perfect. Most people wear twenty
percent of their clothes eighty percent of the time.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Totally true for me. Okay, So the big idea is
strategic focus.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Precisely when you look at your to do list or
your big life goals, the eighty twenty principle encourages you
to ask, Okay, which one or two of these things,
if I really nail them, will give me the biggest return.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
The biggest impact overall.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Yeah, which task or goal will bring the most fulfillment
or maybe unlocked progress on the others. Like if you
have five goals, maybe focusing intensely on the one that
boosts your income or improves your health will actually make
the other four easier to achieve.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
So it's about leverage. Find that key twenty percent effort
that delivers eighty percent of the desired outcome.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
That's it works smarter, not just harder. By identifying your
most powerful actions.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
That's really useful. It shifts the focus from just being
busy to being truly effective. Yeah. Okay, and you said
this idea of focus effort leads into our next topic.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
It does. Yeah, it connects really well to the law
of attraction.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Ah, law of attraction. Okay, this one comes with some baggage, right,
often sounds a bit out there.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
It definitely can. Yeah, a lot of people hear law
of attraction and think of, you know, just wishing really
hard for a million dollars and expecting it to appear
like magic.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Right, the idea that positive thoughts attract positive things, negative
thoughts attract negative things. But it sounds like there's more
to it.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
There is from a psychological or even neuroscientific perspective, there's
a much more grounded explanation for why this isn't just
as you say, hippie talk or magical thinking. There's a
real mechanism at play.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Okay, I'm intrigued. So it's not literally magic money, don't
you show up?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Probably not just by wishing no. But and this is
the crucial part. If you are actively focusing your thoughts
your intentions on making money or achieving a specific goal.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Like getting a promotion or finding clients.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Exactly, then opportunities related to that goal will start presenting
themselves more often, or rather, you'll start noticing them more.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Uh, okay, noticing them. That feels different.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
It is different. And here's the other key bit. You
still have to act. You have to put in the effort.
It's not about sitting on the couch visualizing. It's about
your mind becoming primed to see the path and then
walk the path.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
So focus primes you to see opportunities, and then you
have to grab them precisely.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
If you focus on meeting inspiring people, you'll start noticing them.
If you focus on finding solutions to a problem, your
brain will start spotting potential answers you previously overlooked.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Okay, but how what's the brain mechanism doing this? You
said it wasn't magic.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Right, It's down to a fascinating part of your brain
called the reticular activating system or RS.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Reticular activating system RAS. Okay, what does that do?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Think of it?
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Like this?
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Your brain is constantly flooded with information, billions of bits
every single second, site, sounds, feelings, everything, way too much
to consciously process. Yeah, totally. So the brain needs a filter,
a gatekeeper to decide what gets through to your conscious awareness.
That's the RAS. It filters out all the noise and
lets in what it deems important based on your current focus, goals,
(18:30):
or even threats.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
So it's like my brain's bouncer deciding who gets into
the club of my conscious attention.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
That's a great analogy. Yeah. It tunes into the specific
frequencies that matter to you.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Right now, Okay, and you can influence what it lets in.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Yes, that's the game changer. You can consciously program your RAS.
You can tell it what to look for. Remember the
bottom Minehoff thing buying a new car and suddenly seeing
it everywhere.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Yeah, that was my RAS noticing the car exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
You told your RAS implicitly this car is important now,
so it started highlighting it. You can do this deliberately,
focus on looking for job opportunities or ways to improve
a skill, or even just finding good restaurants.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
So the opportunities, the solutions, they were probably there all along,
but my RAS was filtering them out as irrelevant noise.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Very likely. Yes, until you consciously directed your focus, your
RAS didn't know to flag them for your attention.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Wow. Okay, so this connects directly back to battermine off that.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Absolutely, it's the same underlying mechanism. Just like your brain
makes you see that new word everywhere, your RAS, when
programmed by your focused intention, makes you see relevant opportunities, people,
and information everywhere.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
This completely reframes the law of attraction for me. It's
not about wishing. It's about directing your brain's natural filtering
system to spot what you're looking for exactly.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
It turns it from passive wishing into active attention direction.
It's about priming your brain to perceive and then act
on opportunities. It's really empowering when you grasp that.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Yeah, knowing you can kind of aim your brain's attention.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
That's huge, it really is, and it leads us beautifully
into our final principle today, which is about what our
brains are naturally drawn to, especially when it comes to people.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Okay, what's the final piece of the puzzle.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
It's called the similarity attraction principle. It helps explain why
we tend to gravitate towards certain people and things forming
our social circles, our communities, even our preferences.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Similarity attraction, So we like things that are like.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Us pretty much. Yeah. At a fundamental level, our brains
are constantly making super fast judgments about likes and dislikes,
and a big factor in that, especially socially, is similarity.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
How does that work?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Well? Think about it. We generally feel more comfortable, more
at ease around people who seem similar to us. Maybe
they look like us, talk like us, share our background,
our values.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Yeah, there's a sort of instant familiarity, isn't there less
effort required to understand.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Than maybe exactly? Our brain finds that similarity comforting and predictable.
We also gravitate towards groups or organizations that align with
our interests or values. A sports team, fan club, a
political group, a professional network. We seek out resonance.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Okay, that makes sense consciously. Does it happen subconsciously too?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Oh? Absolutely, there's a great example. Some studies suggests that
if you have, say, a beard, okay, you're actually slightly
more likely to comply with a request from someone else
who also has a beard compared to someone clean shaven,
making the exact.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Same request, No way, just because of the beard. Yep.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Subconsciously your brain registers that shared feature, that similarity, and
it creates a tiny, tiny bias towards trust or agreement.
It's subtle, but it's there. It's why we often look
for calming ground when meeting new people, shared hobbies, hometowns, whatever.
We're seeking similarity to build rapport.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
That's fascinating. So how does this connect back to the
law of attraction.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
In the RAS, ugh, great question. This is where it
really ties together. The similarity attraction principle is actually a
major reason why the law of attraction, powered by the
RAS were how so, well, think about it. If you
cultivate a positive mindset, if you focus on optimism and growth,
what kind of people does the similarity attraction principle suggest
(22:12):
you'll be drawn to.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Other positive people? I guess people who resonate with.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
That mindset exactly. Your RIS, guided by your positive focus,
will start highlighting positive opportunities and positive people, and the
similarity attraction principle means you'll naturally feel more comfortable and
connected with those positive individuals your RAS points out.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
So it's like a double effect. My focus helps me
see positive people via the ras, and my internal state
makes me gravitate towards them because of similarity.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
You've got it. It's not just wishing positive people into
your life. It's about actively shaping your internal state, your attitude,
your values, your focus so that you become essentially a
magnet for similar external experiences in.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
People, become the person who attracts what they desire.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Right by aligning yourself internally with positivity, your brain naturally
starts to like and be drawn towards positive people, opportunities,
and environments. It's about leveraging your brain's own wiring for
connection and preference.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Wow. That ties everything together really nicely. Okay, so let's
try and wrap this up. We've covered a lot of
ground today.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
We really have. It's been a deep dive, definitely.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
We started with that mind body connection right Placebo and
no Cibo, how our beliefs, positive or negative can actually
create physical reality.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Thoughts aren't just thoughts, they're powerful signals to our body.
Then we looked at how our brain filters reality the
better Minhoff making us see new things.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Everywhere, revealing our brain's focus.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Exactly, and anchoring how that first piece of info skews
our judgments of value and normalcy, highlighting that perception isn't
pure reality.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Right, then we shifted to maximizing effort with the eighty
twenty principle, finding that vital twenty percent that gives eighty
percent of the results.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Smart leverage, work smarter, not harder, And we demystified the
law of attraction, linking it to the ras that brain
filter we can actually program with our focus to spot opportunities.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Turning intention into attention really perfectly put.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
And finally, the similarity attraction principle why we're drawn to
what's like us and how cultivating our internal state helps
us attract the people and experiences we desire.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
It all paints a picture of the brain as this
incredibly active, dynamic system that we can actually learn to
work with.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
That's the core message. This knowledge isn't just trivia, it's
genuinely empowering. It helps you make better decisions, manage how
you see things, and consciously shape your experiences rather than
just reacting to life.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
So maybe the final thought for everyone listening as you
go about your day to day, maybe just notice what
anchors might be quietly steering your choices, your feelings about prices,
people's situations.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Yeah, become aware of those invisible reference points and.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
Maybe even more powerfully, what are you telling your reticular
activating system to look for right now? What's your dominant focus,
because that focus might just be shaping what opportunity unity is,
what people, what reality becomes visible to you.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
It's a great question to reflect on the world around you.
Might just be waiting to show you exactly what you're
truly prepared and focused to see.
If you ever had one of those moments where I
don't know, you learn a new word, something, maybe a
bit obscure, and then suddenly you start hearing it everywhere.
It's like popping up all over the place.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Oh yeah, absolutely all the time.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Or what about this a doctor mentions a possible side effect, right,
even for something you logically know is probably nothing like
a sugar pill. Okay, and then you actually start feeling
it like real physical sensations.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, that happens too. It's wild, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
It really is. Our brains, they're just these incredibly complex,
sometimes really mysterious machines. You know, they shape our reality
in ways we barely even notice.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
That's exactly it. And here at the deep dive, that's
what we're all about, peeling back those layers, trying to
cut through all the noise and you get to the
core insights exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
So today our mission is to really take a deep
dive into what is it six fascinating psychological.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Things, six core phenomena. Yeah, and we're not just gonna
like scratch the surface. The idea is to really unpack
these concepts, make them clear, make them act.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Right, so you listening can walk away feeling not just
you know, smarter about it, but actually more empowered about
how your own mind works.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah, definitely more empowered. We're going to explore how your beliefs,
like your deepest poliefs, can actually shape your physical reality.
It sounds out there, but it's true, and how your
past experiences they kind of subtly anchor how you see
things now, and even how focusing your attention can well
almost magically attract new opportunities, though it's not really magic,
(01:31):
as we'll see.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Okay, this sounds like a really fascinating journey into well,
into our own heads.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
It is.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
We're going to unpack some really cool concepts, things like
the no Sebo effect ever heard of that, it's like
the Placebo's evil twin kind.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Of sort of yeah, and the bottom Minehoff phenomenon. That
thing you mentioned about seeing the word everywhere, so.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
That's what it's called. Okay, and anchoring the eighty twenty
principle that one sounds familiar.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
The Peretto principle very useful, and then the law of
attraction but maybe not how you.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Think right, going to get past the hype I bet.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Exactly, And finally the similarity attraction principle why we kind
of stick to our tribes.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
This whole deep dive. It really feels like a shortcut
to understanding ourselves better. Right, Getting these powerful tools for
daily life and you get properly informed without just being
buried in information.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
That's the goal, clear, actionable understanding.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
All right, let's dive in. Where do we start the
power of belief and expectation.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Let's do it, and yeah, first up is the no
cebo effect. It really shows just how powerful our expectations
can be. It's the flip side of something most people
have heard about.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Okay, yeah, the placebo effect. Let's just quickly recap that,
because it's pretty amazing on its own, right. It's when
you take something like a sugarpill, maybe a saline shot,
something that chemically does absolute nothing, totally inert exactly. Yeah,
but because you believe it's going to help, say, your headache,
your body actually responds. Your headache might fade or even
(03:00):
disappear completely mm hm.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Or maybe you're struggling to sleep, someone gives you a
sleeping pill to sugar again and suddenly you drift off easily.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Yeah, your symptoms get better, not because of chemicals, but
because you expected them to. Yeah, your belief, your expectation
of relief, actually triggers a physical response. Yeah, it's like
the mind healing the body.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
It really is a testament to that mind body connection.
But what's truly fascinating and maybe a little unsettling, is
that the reverse can happen too. That's the nocebo effect.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Okay, so the opposite of placebo. How does that work?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, imagine a different scenario. You go to the doctor
get a new prescription. As they hand it over, they
carefully list potential side effects. You know, you might feel
a bit nauseous, maybe some dizziness, perhaps.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
A headache, standard procedure yet, right, But let's.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Say, unbeknownst to you, the pill is actually again just
a sugar pill, no active ingredients. Okay, Yet, within a
few hours or maybe a day, you start feeling queasy,
a bit light headed. Maybe that headache they mentioned starts
creeping in.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Whoa, So you feel the side effects even though the
pill can't cause them.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Exactly, You experienced the very symptoms the doctor warns you about,
purely because your mind was primed to expect them. Your
negative expectation literally created a negative physical reality.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
That's that's kind of wild, isn't it. It really hammers
home how connected our minds and bodies are.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
It really does, and the why behind it is key.
If we genuinely deeply believe something will happen, good or bad,
our physiology often follows suit.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
It's not just a passing thought then, No, it's deeper.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
It's like a subconscious expectation that your body then works
to fulfill. Your brain anticipates it and sends signals to
align with that anticipation. If it expects nausea, it can
trigger pathways that mimic nausea.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Wow, the implications of that are.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Huge, they really are. It underscores the immense, almost scary
power our beliefs have in shaping our physical and psychological reality.
We're not just passive observers. Our mental state is an
active player.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
So what's the takeaway? How do we use this?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Well, the practical takeaway is massive. Yeah, it highlights how
critical it is to sort of master your own mind
to actively manage your expectations.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Okay, but you can't just ignore real symptoms or doctor's warnings.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
No, absolutely not. This isn't about delusion or ignoring genuine
health issues. It's about understanding that your mental framework can
either help or hinder you. It can amplify well being,
or it can actually manifest discomfort.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
So it's about awareness precisely.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Awareness is key. By knowing about the no sebo effect,
you can consciously choose how you frame things before a
medical procedure. For example, you could consciously visualize a positive outcome.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
And maybe mentally filter out the list of potential negatives,
treat them as just possibilities, not predictions.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Exactly, remind yourself that your body wants to heal. This
awareness helps protect you from falling into those negative, self
fulfilling prophecies. It's just understanding how your mental state impacts
your physical experience.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Makes you think, doesn't it How much of what we
feel day to day might be influenced by these ingrained
expectations or anxieties we've picked up.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
It's a profound question, and it leads nicely into our
next section, which is all about how our brain filters
and frames the reality we see every day.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Okay, filtering and framing this sounds interesting. Where are we
headed next?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
We're going to talk about something I bet everyone listening
has experienced, even if they didn't have a name for it.
It's called the baider Minehoff phenomenon.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Bader Minehoff. Okay, intriguing name.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
What is this?
Speaker 1 (06:33):
The seeing the word everywhere? Thing?
Speaker 2 (06:36):
That's the one. It's also called the frequency illusion, which
is maybe a bit more descriptive.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Okay, frequency illuses, right, So it's that experience you learn
a new word, maybe something kind of specific, like I
don't know, Petter Core, the smell of rain on dry
earth nice one. Yeah, and then bam, suddenly it's in
articles people are saying it. It's like it's the word
of the week.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Mm hmm. Or you finally watch that TV show everyone's
been talking about.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
And then suddenly everyone seems to be talking about it
right now where you see ads for it, mentions online.
It feels uncanny, like the universe suddenly put it on
repeat just for you.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
That's the feeling. But it's not the universe, and it's
not really magic. That's the Betamindhoff phenomenon or frequency illusion
in action. It's a cognitive bias, a.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Bias, okay, So it's our brain doing something specific exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
It's not that the word or the show is actually
appearing more often. It was probably always there. It's that
your brain is suddenly paying attention to it.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
How does that work then, why does it happen?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Well, our brains have this built in bias towards information
we've recently learned, or stuff that suddenly become relevant to us.
This new piece of info, the word, the show, maybe
a car model you're thinking of buying.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Oh yeah, the car thing.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Definitely experience that right, That new info gets like priority processing.
Your brain flags it as important. Now it's like you've
installed a new recognition software just for that.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Okay, so it's actively looking for.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
It sort of when you first encounter it. Your brain
does the sort of extra work it wants to confirm
and reprocess this new data. This makes you hyper aware,
so you notice it every single time it appears. You
just didn't see it before because it wasn't flagged as relevant.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I can totally see that. I remember learning about confirmation
bias itself in a psych class, and then for weeks
I saw examples of confirmation bias everywhere in the news,
in conversations, even in my own thinking. I thought, wow,
this concept is really taking off.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
But it was your brain newly attuned to the concept,
highlighting it for you.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Exactly It really changes how you see things, doesn't It
Like trends or what seems popular. What we notice is
so heavily influenced by what our brain is primed to
look for.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
It really is. It shows our perception isn't just a
clean window onto reality. It's filtered by our attention and
recent experiences. Our brain is constantly asking is this important
to me now, and then showing us evidence that's fascinating.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
And you said this leads into another bias?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
It does. Yeah, it connects really well to our next topic, anchoring.
This one also messes with our perception of reality, especially
when it comes to judging value or what's normal.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Anchoring. Okay, I think I have a sense of this one,
but laid out for us sure.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Anchoring is basically how that first piece of information we
get about something, the anchor tends to heavily influence all
our later judgments about it, especially when we're trying to
figure out, say, how much something is worth or what's
a typical amount.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
So the first number or the first impression.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Sticks, it sticks disproportionately. Yeah, think about this. A friend
mentions they bought some really cheap shoes. Okay, in your head,
cheap shoes might mean I don't know, maybe thirty quid,
forty bucks something like that. But maybe your friend's anchor
for cheap shoes is way higher based on where they
usually shop. So when they say they got them for
one hundred and fifty pounds, you're thinking, whoa, that's.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Not cheap at all, right, because my anchor, my starting
point for cheap is totally different from their exactly.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Your brains are anchored to different reference points based on
your past experiences. Once that anchor is dropped, it's surprisingly
hard to pull it up and adjust properly. We tend
to make judgments relative to that first anchor.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
That makes sense. Can you give another example, maybe something broader?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Absolutely? Gas prices are a classic one.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Oh yeah, definitely right.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
If you grew up somewhere or during a time when
gas was consistently, say two dollars a gallon, that becomes
your anchor. That's what feels normal in your head. So
when you see gas at like three fifty or four
dollars today, your immediate reaction is, wow, that's really expensive.
It feels like a huge jump from your baseline. Okay,
but contrast that with someone who grew up where gas
(10:43):
was typically five dollars a gallon, maybe high taxes, remote area, whatever.
For them, seeing gas at four dollars feels like a
sweet deal. They feel like they're saving money, getting a bargain,
even if it's objectively higher than the first person's anchor.
Their anchor is five dollars, so anything less feels good.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Ah, that explains so much. Yeah, like why sometimes older
people might complain more about current prices for.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Things exactly, It's often because their anchor, their reference point
for normal, was set much lower decades ago, when the
economy was totally different. A dollar for gas might be their.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Anchor, So them even three dollars feels outrageous, not just expensive,
but like fundamentally wrong.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Precisely, it's not about them being unreasonable. It's their perception
being shaped by that deeply ingrained initial anchor. And this
doesn't just apply to prices.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Where else does this show up?
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Oh? Everywhere negotiations, the first offer made often becomes the anchor.
Salary is the first number mentioned, heavily influences the final agreement.
Even first impressions of people That initial piece of information
can color how we interpret everything else.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
They do or say, okay, so Knowing about this is powerful?
How do we counteract it?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Awareness is the first step. Always knowing that anchoring exists
helps you question that initial information. Ask yourself, is this
first number reasonable? Where did it come from? What other
reference points could I consider?
Speaker 1 (12:05):
So consciously trying to find other anchors.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Yeah, or deliberately considering alternatives, Like before making a judgment
on a price, maybe quickly think of three wildly different
possible prices, one much lower, one much higher. It can
help dislodge that first anchor a bit.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
That's a great practical tip, like actively re anchoring yourself exactly.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
It helps you assess value more objectively, not just based
on the first thing you heard. It makes you more
discerning in your decisions.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Fantastic. Okay, so we've covered belief filtering, anchoring. What's next
on our deep dives maximizing effort?
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yep, let's talk about getting the most bang for your
buck effort wise. We're moving on to a principle that's
all about efficiency and impact. The eighty twenty principle.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Ah, the eighty twenty rule or the prereto principle. Right, Yeah,
I've definitely heard of this one seems simple but powerful.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
It really is super simple concept, but the implications are
huge for productivity, business, even just daily life. It comes
from Vilfreda Pareto and Italian economists way back in nineteen
oh six.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
What did you notice?
Speaker 2 (13:06):
He noticed that about eighty percent of the land in
Italy was owned by just twenty percent of the population,
and since then people have seen this kind of imbalance everywhere.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
So the core idea is what eighty percent of results
come from twenty percent of the effort roughly.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Yeah, it's not always exactly eighty twenty. It's more of
a rule of thumb, but it suggests that a large
majority of the outcomes the eighty percent, often stem from
a small minority of the causes or inputs the twenty percent.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Okay, So it's about identifying that crucial twenty percent exactly.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
It's a strategic tool to help you focus your energy
where it counts the most, finding the levers that give
you the biggest results.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Let's make that concrete. How does this play out and
say business?
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Okay, classic business example, eighty percent of your company's revenue
probably comes from about twenty percent of your customers.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Your most loyal maybe highest paying ones usually yeah, or
maybe eighty percent of your profits come from twenty percent
of your product lines.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Knowing this tells you where to focus your marketing, your
customer service, your R and D.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Right makes sense. Invest in the twenty percent that drives
the eighty percent, or flip it.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Maybe eighty percent of customer complaints come from twenty percent
of product laws or service issues. Find that twenty percent
fix it, and you solve the vast majority.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Of the problems. Okay, that's clear for business. What about
outside of work, like learning?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Great question? In learning, the principle suggests that maybe eighty
percent of what you actually retain comes from only twenty
percent of your study methods.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
So not all study techniques are created equal.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Probably not. Maybe that crucial twenty percent is the active
stuff like flash cards, practice quizzes, actually using the language
or skill rather than just passively rereading notes for hours
on end.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
So find the vital few techniques that give you the
biggest learning payoff.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
You got it. Identify those high impact activities that yield
the majority of the results.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
And I guess this applies to personal life too.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Relationships Maybe, oh definitely, think about your social network, your community.
Where does most of your feeling of support and connection come.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
From probably yeah, probably from a small handful of really
close friends or family, my core group.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Right. Often eighty percent of that feeling of belonging in
support comes from maybe twenty percent of the people you know.
It's a reminder to really nurture those key relationships.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
That's a nice way to think about it. Invest energy
where it really matters emotionally or even like your closet. Huh.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Yes, the closet example is perfect. Most people wear twenty
percent of their clothes eighty percent of the time.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Totally true for me. Okay, So the big idea is
strategic focus.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Precisely when you look at your to do list or
your big life goals, the eighty twenty principle encourages you
to ask, Okay, which one or two of these things,
if I really nail them, will give me the biggest return.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
The biggest impact overall.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Yeah, which task or goal will bring the most fulfillment
or maybe unlocked progress on the others. Like if you
have five goals, maybe focusing intensely on the one that
boosts your income or improves your health will actually make
the other four easier to achieve.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
So it's about leverage. Find that key twenty percent effort
that delivers eighty percent of the desired outcome.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
That's it works smarter, not just harder. By identifying your
most powerful actions.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
That's really useful. It shifts the focus from just being
busy to being truly effective. Yeah. Okay, and you said
this idea of focus effort leads into our next topic.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
It does. Yeah, it connects really well to the law
of attraction.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Ah, law of attraction. Okay, this one comes with some baggage, right,
often sounds a bit out there.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
It definitely can. Yeah, a lot of people hear law
of attraction and think of, you know, just wishing really
hard for a million dollars and expecting it to appear
like magic.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Right, the idea that positive thoughts attract positive things, negative
thoughts attract negative things. But it sounds like there's more
to it.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
There is from a psychological or even neuroscientific perspective, there's
a much more grounded explanation for why this isn't just
as you say, hippie talk or magical thinking. There's a
real mechanism at play.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Okay, I'm intrigued. So it's not literally magic money, don't
you show up?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Probably not just by wishing no. But and this is
the crucial part. If you are actively focusing your thoughts
your intentions on making money or achieving a specific goal.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Like getting a promotion or finding clients.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Exactly, then opportunities related to that goal will start presenting
themselves more often, or rather, you'll start noticing them more.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Uh, okay, noticing them. That feels different.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
It is different. And here's the other key bit. You
still have to act. You have to put in the effort.
It's not about sitting on the couch visualizing. It's about
your mind becoming primed to see the path and then
walk the path.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
So focus primes you to see opportunities, and then you
have to grab them precisely.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
If you focus on meeting inspiring people, you'll start noticing them.
If you focus on finding solutions to a problem, your
brain will start spotting potential answers you previously overlooked.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Okay, but how what's the brain mechanism doing this? You
said it wasn't magic.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Right, It's down to a fascinating part of your brain
called the reticular activating system or RS.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Reticular activating system RAS. Okay, what does that do?
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Think of it?
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Like this?
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Your brain is constantly flooded with information, billions of bits
every single second, site, sounds, feelings, everything, way too much
to consciously process. Yeah, totally. So the brain needs a filter,
a gatekeeper to decide what gets through to your conscious awareness.
That's the RAS. It filters out all the noise and
lets in what it deems important based on your current focus, goals,
(18:30):
or even threats.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
So it's like my brain's bouncer deciding who gets into
the club of my conscious attention.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
That's a great analogy. Yeah. It tunes into the specific
frequencies that matter to you.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Right now, Okay, and you can influence what it lets in.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Yes, that's the game changer. You can consciously program your RAS.
You can tell it what to look for. Remember the
bottom Minehoff thing buying a new car and suddenly seeing
it everywhere.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Yeah, that was my RAS noticing the car exactly.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
You told your RAS implicitly this car is important now,
so it started highlighting it. You can do this deliberately,
focus on looking for job opportunities or ways to improve
a skill, or even just finding good restaurants.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
So the opportunities, the solutions, they were probably there all along,
but my RAS was filtering them out as irrelevant noise.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Very likely. Yes, until you consciously directed your focus, your
RAS didn't know to flag them for your attention.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Wow. Okay, so this connects directly back to battermine off that.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Absolutely, it's the same underlying mechanism. Just like your brain
makes you see that new word everywhere, your RAS, when
programmed by your focused intention, makes you see relevant opportunities, people,
and information everywhere.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
This completely reframes the law of attraction for me. It's
not about wishing. It's about directing your brain's natural filtering
system to spot what you're looking for exactly.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
It turns it from passive wishing into active attention direction.
It's about priming your brain to perceive and then act
on opportunities. It's really empowering when you grasp that.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Yeah, knowing you can kind of aim your brain's attention.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
That's huge, it really is, and it leads us beautifully
into our final principle today, which is about what our
brains are naturally drawn to, especially when it comes to people.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Okay, what's the final piece of the puzzle.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
It's called the similarity attraction principle. It helps explain why
we tend to gravitate towards certain people and things forming
our social circles, our communities, even our preferences.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Similarity attraction, So we like things that are like.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Us pretty much. Yeah. At a fundamental level, our brains
are constantly making super fast judgments about likes and dislikes,
and a big factor in that, especially socially, is similarity.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
How does that work?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Well? Think about it. We generally feel more comfortable, more
at ease around people who seem similar to us. Maybe
they look like us, talk like us, share our background,
our values.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Yeah, there's a sort of instant familiarity, isn't there less
effort required to understand.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Than maybe exactly? Our brain finds that similarity comforting and predictable.
We also gravitate towards groups or organizations that align with
our interests or values. A sports team, fan club, a
political group, a professional network. We seek out resonance.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Okay, that makes sense consciously. Does it happen subconsciously too?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Oh? Absolutely, there's a great example. Some studies suggests that
if you have, say, a beard, okay, you're actually slightly
more likely to comply with a request from someone else
who also has a beard compared to someone clean shaven,
making the exact.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Same request, No way, just because of the beard. Yep.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Subconsciously your brain registers that shared feature, that similarity, and
it creates a tiny, tiny bias towards trust or agreement.
It's subtle, but it's there. It's why we often look
for calming ground when meeting new people, shared hobbies, hometowns, whatever.
We're seeking similarity to build rapport.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
That's fascinating. So how does this connect back to the
law of attraction.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
In the RAS, ugh, great question. This is where it
really ties together. The similarity attraction principle is actually a
major reason why the law of attraction, powered by the
RAS were how so, well, think about it. If you
cultivate a positive mindset, if you focus on optimism and growth,
what kind of people does the similarity attraction principle suggest
(22:12):
you'll be drawn to.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Other positive people? I guess people who resonate with.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
That mindset exactly. Your RIS, guided by your positive focus,
will start highlighting positive opportunities and positive people, and the
similarity attraction principle means you'll naturally feel more comfortable and
connected with those positive individuals your RAS points out.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
So it's like a double effect. My focus helps me
see positive people via the ras, and my internal state
makes me gravitate towards them because of similarity.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
You've got it. It's not just wishing positive people into
your life. It's about actively shaping your internal state, your attitude,
your values, your focus so that you become essentially a
magnet for similar external experiences in.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
People, become the person who attracts what they desire.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Right by aligning yourself internally with positivity, your brain naturally
starts to like and be drawn towards positive people, opportunities,
and environments. It's about leveraging your brain's own wiring for
connection and preference.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Wow. That ties everything together really nicely. Okay, so let's
try and wrap this up. We've covered a lot of
ground today.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
We really have. It's been a deep dive, definitely.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
We started with that mind body connection right Placebo and
no Cibo, how our beliefs, positive or negative can actually
create physical reality.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Thoughts aren't just thoughts, they're powerful signals to our body.
Then we looked at how our brain filters reality the
better Minhoff making us see new things.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Everywhere, revealing our brain's focus.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Exactly, and anchoring how that first piece of info skews
our judgments of value and normalcy, highlighting that perception isn't
pure reality.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Right, then we shifted to maximizing effort with the eighty
twenty principle, finding that vital twenty percent that gives eighty
percent of the results.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Smart leverage, work smarter, not harder, And we demystified the
law of attraction, linking it to the ras that brain
filter we can actually program with our focus to spot opportunities.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Turning intention into attention really perfectly put.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
And finally, the similarity attraction principle why we're drawn to
what's like us and how cultivating our internal state helps
us attract the people and experiences we desire.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
It all paints a picture of the brain as this
incredibly active, dynamic system that we can actually learn to
work with.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
That's the core message. This knowledge isn't just trivia, it's
genuinely empowering. It helps you make better decisions, manage how
you see things, and consciously shape your experiences rather than
just reacting to life.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
So maybe the final thought for everyone listening as you
go about your day to day, maybe just notice what
anchors might be quietly steering your choices, your feelings about prices,
people's situations.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Yeah, become aware of those invisible reference points and.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
Maybe even more powerfully, what are you telling your reticular
activating system to look for right now? What's your dominant focus,
because that focus might just be shaping what opportunity unity is,
what people, what reality becomes visible to you.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
It's a great question to reflect on the world around you.
Might just be waiting to show you exactly what you're
truly prepared and focused to see.
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