# What Are The Secret Psychological Tactics THEY Are Using On Us? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2002, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108 "2002-03-19T21:41:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/1 "2002-03-19T21:41:55Z")
Do politicians wear red ties because red ties make me want to vote for them? Do car salesmen look at my pupil size to determine if I really like a car, so they can screw me on the negotiations? Are print/TV ads filled with microscopic sexual images so that I end up buying all of their products? Do real estate agents show me a really crummy house FIRST, then show me a not-quite-so-crummy house later to trick me into buying a crummy house? Do powerful people use special speaking patterns to make me believe filthy lies? Do salesmen “frame” certain items to “guide” me into buying exactly what they want? Do electronics stores hire attractive women as salespersons so that I buy a bunch of stuff I don’t even want? Where can I learn about these manipulative techniques? How do I keep myself from being a pawn in their game?? How do I undo the brainwashing that has been perpetrated on me my whole life??? How do I know if what I’m buying something _I_ want to buy, rather than the result of corporate mind-control??? Can ANYONE be trusted??? ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/2 "2002-03-19T22:02:11Z")
Your ideas intrigue me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. (wow) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/3 "2002-03-19T22:13:23Z")
Maybe I nodded off. Are you sure this isn’t the “Do we really have free will ?” thread in Great Debates? ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/4 "2002-03-19T22:29:38Z")
Oh, I see. I suppose you think that the Hoover Vacuum ad, the one that shows the woman vacuuming and smiling and the song goes- “Nobody does it like you, nobody has the POWER to PLEASE ME” they’re talking about the vacuum’s ability to pick up dirt off of the carpet; it has nothing to do with orgasms. And the Chevy truck “Like a ROCK” ad is about tailgaits I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/5 "2002-03-19T22:32:55Z")
If you keep using up all the question marks like that, there won’t be any for the rest of us. Please be considerate of your fellow Dopers. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/6 "2002-03-19T22:45:57Z")
I see you are from Gobbler’s Knob. I cannot believe any of the questions you posed because you failed to ask the most important one. After all, only the Shadow knows!!! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/7 "2002-03-19T23:14:18Z")
How could we possibly answer any of your questions in a way that you would find trustworthy? ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2002, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/8 "2002-03-19T23:34:39Z")
It’s a fair question, **Mangetout**. But I’m not paranoid or distrusting, only _aware_. If someone were to at least admit that this kind of stuff goes on, I would probably be willing to hear them out. But when someone says "You’re nuts, this NEVER happens, corporations wouldn’t lie to us (think ENRON), and that kind of thing I really have to wonder. But with as many people contributing here as there are, I don’t doubt someone will be here to soon to say “Yes, it’s true, I worked as a salesperson for x number of years and I manipulated people by…” ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2002, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/9 "2002-03-20T00:07:03Z")
Is there anything that resembles a factual General Question here? ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2002, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/10 "2002-03-20T00:13:29Z")
There’s a lot more to think about than you’ll probably get from a thread on this board. If you’re asking what it appears you’re asking about, there are many books on the subject. A simple search revealed this one at Amazon, which I bring up only because of the price listing (perhaps it’s intentional). It says, “ **List Price** : $18.95”, but there’s a line through the price. Then below it it has : “ **Our Price : $18.95** ” Anyway, here’s the link : [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0819186538/102-7933487-2664143](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0819186538/102-7933487-2664143) I wouldn’t just read one book (and I have no idea whether that one is a good one), check the customer comments/reviews and check out the other books they talk about. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2002, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/11 "2002-03-20T01:58:53Z")
Do you mean techniques a door to door salesman might use, such as purporting to just be taking an entertainment survey to get you talking to him, while he gathers enough info about you to note that your profile is perfectly suited to the discount club in which he can offer you a membership? And do you refer to the salesman, when you protest that you aren’t prepared to make a decision tonight, exercising the “negative take-away” and telling you the offer can only be made while he is there that night, and this will be an opportunity forever lost if not acted upon now. And are you also referring to the fact that said salesman is armed with a repertoire of pat replies to objections, such as, for the above situation, “Well, you know, when you think about, _every_ decision is a snap decision?” Or do you perhaps think of the politician, who’s long been a proponent of higher energy prices and restrictions on domestic drilling as a means to combat pollution, stating during a campaign at a point when the public’s mind is on a temporarily high gas prices that we will develop our own energy resources to escape dependency on foreign sources that leave us at the mercy of market prices? Possibly you believe such a politician cynically thinks that the policy wonks that don’t like him won’t believe for a minute that he’s changed course, but they were lost to him anyway and the policy wonks who do like him won’t for a minute believe he’s changed course, but will recognize he’s just saying what he feels he needs to to get elected, and the only minds he might sway are those that will never know or understand his efforts in the energy arena anyway. While I don’t so much now, but may again in the future, in the past I’ve had to pitch deals within my industry. And I still look at the other guys’ deals. That’s a case of professionals pitchin’ to professionals, and we all know all the tricks. Sins of ommission are not condoned, but people do get by with that because we all recognize that there may be something we just don’t know. Optimistic estimates or interpretations of data are OK, as optimism drives business. Outright fibbing will get you a bad reputation very quickly, and nobody wants that, although some seem to persist forever with Jolly Rogers flying. It’s hard to imagine a world without selling. “Are your hamburgers good?” “They’re just like the ones across the street, but hey, you’re already here (whoops, some selling).” ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2002, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/12 "2002-03-20T02:01:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by manhattan \* > \*\*Is there anything that resembles a factual General Question here? \*\* I think so. “Are their any sources which discuss the way advertisers, marketers and politicians attempt to persuade us via non-rational means?” I don’t know the answer. One academic discipline devoted to this is called “rhetoric”, but AFAIK it focusses more on argument than on empirical matters. Appropos nothing, here’s a link on [logical fallacies](http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/). ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/13 "2002-03-20T02:06:47Z")
Silly. He just needs an Alex Chiu Immortality Ring! ---
**Author:** ![MarkusGoneAwry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@MarkusGoneAwry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarkusGoneAwry)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2002, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/14 "2002-03-20T02:10:50Z")
Do politicians wear red ties because red ties make me want to vote for them? \*\*\*No, but they wear them because it protrays power. Do car salesmen look at my pupil size to determine if I really like a car, so they can screw me on the negotiations? \*\*\*Only the really good ones. Try this technique, it is hard. Are print/TV ads filled with microscopic sexual images so that I end up buying all of their products? \*\*\*This is very doubtful (that I know of). Do real estate agents show me a really crummy house FIRST, then show me a not-quite-so-crummy house later to trick me into buying a crummy house? \*\*\*Only if this tactic has been shown to work. Do powerful people use special speaking patterns to make me believe filthy lies? \*\*\*Only if you are ignorant. Do salesmen “frame” certain items to “guide” me into buying exactly what they want? \*\*\*Yes. Do electronics stores hire attractive women as salespersons so that I buy a bunch of stuff I don’t even want? \*\*\*Yes. You ask: > [@](#): > > Where can I learn about these manipulative techniques? How do I keep myself from being a pawn in their game?? How do I undo the brainwashing that has been perpetrated on me my whole life??? These are all _marketing and sales strategies_ designed to maximize their seller bargaining power in many cases. Anyways, take a couple marketing classes at your local community college and you will learn all about them. One more thing, if you buy things that you do not want because of marketing tricks, than there is some level of ignorance occuring. ---
**Author:** ![lurker\_b](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@lurker\_b](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurker_b)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2002, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/15 "2002-03-20T02:13:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Surreal \* > \*\*Do politicians wear red ties because red ties make me want to vote for them? \*\* Yes. They wear red ties because a red tie looks like a blood engorged penis. This makes you believe the person wearing said tie is masculine and powerful and worthy of your support. I learned it in college, so it must be true. Of course the same professor who told me this was also featured in News of the Weird as someone who had made contact with aliens, so you make the call. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/16 "2002-03-20T16:34:01Z")
Thanks for the info, guys. **lurker b** - right now I’m not looking to try to understand _why_ these tricks work, I just wanted to know _if_ they work and to what degree they are used. **Ringo** - that was really interesting, but I still don’t understand how you learned all of that. Books? Classes?? And what is the name for the subject matter I have described? Is it rhetoric, social psychology, marketing, or something else?? ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2002, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/17 "2002-03-20T17:16:39Z")
> [@](#): > > And what is the name for the subject matter I have described? In DC we call some of what you are asking about “spin.” It’s a way to creatively present the facts in such a way that they appear to tell you what you want to hear. (There is another tactic, known as _lying_, which politicians also use to tell you what you want to hear. It’s far more effective than this season’s power tie, but that’s another story.) Spin definitely works, if you can neutralize the opposition’s counter-spin. Here is a perfect example: [http://www.doi.gov/news/020312.html](http://www.doi.gov/news/020312.html) Look at this eye-popping statement from the protector of my nation’s natural resources, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton: > [@](#): > > “ANWR is America’s largest onshore prospect for oil and gas,” U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton said. “ANWR’s reserves, at the mean estimate, will provide 10.4 billion barrels of oil, nearly 40 times the amount imported from Iraq in 2001.” Pretty impressive, huh? Until you [look around](http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/09/20/p2s1.htm) and discover that Iraq accounts for around 7-8% of all American oil imports, and imported oil accounts for about 55% of its total petroleum purchases, and the above quote compares an estimated total production over thirty years to a single year of imports from Iraq… But those trivial little details won’t matter to the people who want what’s _really_ up there in the ANWR: money, and political favors. They’re hoping it won’t matter to you, either. ---
**Author:** ![ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2002, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/18 "2002-03-20T17:44:51Z")
Car sales reps and politicians must be a lot smarter in your world than they are in mine. L ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2002, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/19 "2002-03-20T18:03:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > > Look at this eye-popping statement from the protector of my nation’s natural resources, Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton: > > **"ANWR is America’s largest onshore prospect for oil and gas," U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton said. "ANWR’s reserves, at the mean estimate, will provide 10.4 billion barrels of oil, nearly 40 times the amount imported from Iraq in 2001."** > > Pretty impressive, huh? Until you [look around](http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/09/20/p2s1.htm) and discover that Iraq accounts for around 7-8% of all American oil imports, and imported oil accounts for about 55% of its total petroleum purchases, and the above quote compares an estimated total production over thirty years to a single year of imports from Iraq… > > But those trivial little details won’t matter to the people who want what’s _really_ up there in the ANWR: money, and political favors. They’re hoping it won’t matter to you, either. Strange I’d say. The figure I saw said it would take _10-20 years_ to extract a _six month supply of oil_ from ANWR. We can save that much oil this fvery minute by driving less. The Interior Secretary’s comment is a political crock. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108/20 "2002-03-21T01:14:40Z")
This thread is going nowhere factual. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-secret-psychological-tactics-they-are-using-on-us/99108.md?page=2)