Tuesday, 22 September 2009

You absolutely rock!!!


My previous post got me many phone calls, emails, comments, bouquets and brick bats. Many of them agreed to their psychological profile, and a few complained about some aspects and a few completely went overboard and said that I was a freak, which I would vehemently oppose but in a later post, maybe. First and foremost, Sorry Scott for shamelessly recreating your scenario but just couldn't resist the temptation. Okay so coming back to the profile thing, what I exactly did was a "Cold Read".

One fascinating aspect of the cold read, as it applies to horoscopes for example, is that they are more entertaining than you think they ought to be. I don't believe in astrology, but if you put a horoscope in front of me I will immediately look for Libra and read it. Likewise, I always take the time to open fortune cookies. What's up with that?
Answer: The most fascinating topic in the world, at least to you, is you.

Apparently, one of the big secrets of writing is that readers care about themselves more than they care about just about anything else. A writer can easily keep you interested if he writes someting personal about you, about your likes (and dislikes).

The cold read concept also overlaps with hypnosis and other forms of influence, such as advertising, sales, and seduction. When people believe, you understand them at a level they have not yet chosen to reveal, you get into their heads quickly, and that gives you influence. For example, you might say to a customer that you met only minutes ago, "I can tell you're a man who likes to get all the information before making a decision." It's a general statement that applies to most people, but it will feel to the customer as if you understand him, and his guard will come down a little, even if he knows exactly what you're up to. And he will like you better for turning the topic to him.There are many methodologies that are used, such as Barnum statements, Shot gun approach,Rainbow ruse etc, If you want to learn more about "Cold read" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_reading

Right now you're wondering if something so simple would really work. You're a bit skeptical because things that sound that simple usually don't work. And if it were really that easy, wouldn't you already know about it? After all, you're extremely well read. In any gathering, you're the one who seems to know the most about lots of different topics. How can you test the cold read concept for influencing someone to see if it's legit? How would you Google it?

And, I definitely do not believe in astrology. That's because we Librans are always caught in two minds.... :D

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