In the late 90s, a large chunk of the field of social psychology started dedicating itself to figuring out ways to subtly persuade and influence people’s everyday decisions without their awareness. If you’re into freedom of choice, this was a close call.
This episode dives into priming, the psychological phenomenon where subtle cues can supposedly shape our thoughts, decisions, and behaviors without us even realizing it. Josh and Chuck trace its origins from legitimate cognitive psychology experiments through its explosive rise in social psychology, marketing, and politics, eventually landing on one of the field's messiest scandals involving Nobel Prize winners, bestselling books, and a whole lot of scientific soul-searching. Expect plenty of wild studies, some genuinely surprising findings, and a good dose of skepticism as the guys work through just how much of this stuff actually holds up.
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