Priming

Advertisers are professionals when it comes to priming.

But what exactly is priming? And how can we use it to our own advantage?

Basically everything around us is a prime: everything we see, hear, smell etc. causes associations - and the point is that those associations are not neccessarily conscious. So if you are standing in the wine section, for example, and there is French music in the background you might buy a French wine later on, not realising that you have been primed on doing so. That is why priming is a key element when it comes to advertising.

The thing is, we can also use priming for our own advantage. The thing you need to realise is:

The clothes or perfume you wear, the music you listen to, the people and things you sorround yourself with - everything is a prime. It causes (sub-conscious) associations to pop up and influences you.

Start finding your own primes!

Be creative! You can use certain clothes, songs, postcards, pictures, bed linen and much more. A very important thing to remember when you start finding primes is: they have to be new. Old primes, that already have a certain connotation are not as effective. Choose very consciously what primes you want to use.

Make it an automatism!

The great thing is that in the beginning you notice when you prime yourself - but by the time you will build a new neurological net, which can be activated without you realising it. For example, I have a little key in my pocket. It’s not for any lock. The only reason I always have it with me ist that it is tree-shaped and trees are a positive prime for me. In the beginning I actively touched it in my pocket, now I don’t even notice. But when I do it instantly changes my mood, stace or state of mind in general. It has become an automatism.

And that’s really the whole point. Have as many primes as you would like, make sure they have a positive connotation and use them consciously - until you don’t notice you are doing it anymore.

By the way, movements (little ones and big ones) can also work as primes - check out

Embodiment⁠

for further information on how body and psyche are connected!

Futher ressources:

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How Priming Affects the Psychology of Memory Priming is a phenomenon in which previous stimuli influence how people react to subsequent stimuli. Learn how priming works in psychology and its effect on memory. www.verywellmind.com⁠

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5 Examples of How Priming Influences Behaviour Research, expectations, and why the brain hates uncertainty uxplanet.org⁠

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