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In a study dubbed “The Florida Effect,”¹¹ rather than make a specific suggestion, leading to an easy correlation (EAT —> SOUP / WASH —> SOAP), we saw something more fascinating. First, research participants were primed to recall an idea that was never explicitly stated (but was itself suggested by other words). Second, we saw priming affect physical behaviors.

Broken into two parts, the study first asked subjects to arrange words into sentences. For the control group, the words given to them were random and neutral—to not suggest any specific ideas. The test group was given words such as Florida, forgetful, bald, gray, and wrinkly—all words that we might associate with the elderly. That’s the first part of the study—priming subjects with words that might suggest old age. The second part of the study was where things got interesting. After they finished arranging the words, the subjects were sent to do another experiment in an office down the hall. Of course, this short walk was the real experiment—researchers were timing their walk. The results? “Participants for whom an elderly stereotype was primed walked more slowly down the hallway when leaving the experiment than did control participants.” Apparently, unconscious thinking about old age influenced physical actions. When subjects were questioned afterward, none of them recalled noticing a theme in the words they arranged, and they insisted that nothing in that first experiment could have influenced their stride. And yet ...

Focus on the conceptual associations.

This connection between the mind and body—that what we think and do are linked—is a fascinating one, that seems to work both ways. When we explored the mind-body connection in Chapter 2, we mentioned the “warm cup” study, one of several studies exploring links between physiological and affective associations. Similar studies seem to suggest this same correlation between bodily states and concepts brought to mind. Perhaps you’ve heard that placing a pencil in your mouth for three minutes leads to a happier state? The idea here being that forcing your mouth into a smile actually triggers the associated feelings of happiness and can actually “hack” your brains to be happier. Or maybe you’ve seen the TED talk about “power poses,” that reclining in a chair, and putting your hands behind your head before an interview can lead to more confidence.¹² On a purely anecdotal note, I (Stephen) have found chewing gum just before an important social event (client pitch, social conversation) leads to increased feelings of confidence and helps counter my introverted tendencies. While the science of this mind-body connection is still emerging (and tenuous, at times!), the connection is well-acknowledged by a number of professions that focus on the body, from yoga, theater, and dance instruction to the sports coach who has the athletic team practicing visualization techniques.

CAUTION: PRIMING STUDIES HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT TO REPLICATE

While anecdotes and studies on the mind-body connection are numerous, they should be taken with a bit of skepticism. Attempts to replicate research studies have met with mixed results, which leads us to avoid making any hard assertions about the scientific validity of priming. That said, what is suggested by these studies is consistent with the bigger idea of what we’re asserting: all thought is associative, and these associations are widespread, throughout the body, brain and environment. Whether the trigger is language, a picture, posture, or some other stimulus, and whether the resulting action is a change in thought or motion, it’s all— from our perspective—associative, pattern matching.

We’d venture to say few of us have trouble with the concept of priming. Indeed, the “power of suggestion” is a popular idea for most of the population. However, of the many strands of research into human behavior, priming is one strand that has been fiercely criticized and should not be taken as fact. For a different take on priming and the Florida Effect, we recommend reading “Behavioral Priming: It’s All in the Mind, but Whose Mind?”¹³