We all have personal behaviors that we would like to change. For instance, to lose some weight, to exercise more, to give up a bad habit, to incorporate a good habit and some personal "nudges" can be used to help an individual make changes in their own life. What concerns me is when we are unknowingly being "nudged" into behavior without our realizing it. When nudges is applied on us without our acknowledgement it is manipulation and control. It is the unknowing "nudges" that are being used on all of us that I am trying to make others aware of with this blog. That is why a great interest for this site is being promoting by so many others. Now hundreds are reading this blog daily to learn how to become more aware of others who are trying to use "nudges" to manipulate their behavior.
Priming: Activating particular associations in memory. Our memory is built on connections of associations, and priming is the awakening or activation of certain associations within our memory. Many experiments have shown over and over that priming one's thoughts, even without awareness of the person, can influence another thought and even action. Even subliminal priming can stimulate people into action, even when the priming was too brief to even be recognized and be perceived consciously. There is much of our social influence and information processing that is automatic. It is unintentional, and happens without our conscious awareness (Meyers). Sunstein and Thaler in Nudge encourage the use of priming by private, public, business and government sources to harness this social influence to become nudgers to "channel" certain behaviors. They say "sometimes the merest hint of an idea or concept will trigger an association that can stimulate action. These "primes" and their effects can be surprisingly powerful." Manipulations that are subtle can have an unnoticeable force for influence and change, and as such is playing with your subconscious in ways that you will never even know. But they do!
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