5/25/07
Would you Believe That your Desires Control What you See?
Author: Laurence Magne
Without realizing it, people perceive things according to how they want to see them, a new study suggests.
"There is an age old hypothesis in psychology that a person's wishes, hopes and desires can influence what we see," said a Cornell University psychologist This theory had lay dormant for about 40 years, though, without any supporting evidence.
In five separate tests, 412 volunteers from Cornell were presented with an ambiguous picture that could be interpreted as two distinct figures—either a horse's head or the body of a seal, for example. They were told they would be assigned to a taste test of either fresh-squeezed orange juice or a gelatinous, clumpy and rather unappealing veggie smoothie, depending on whether they saw a farm animal or sea creature.
More often than not the participants chose the figure that would lead them to the juice.
The trick to making the study meaningful was making sure the test subjects didn't know what was going on, noting that the generally high IQ of Cornell students made cheating a real possibility.
The figures were chosen so we knew the people weren't just lying or playing tricks. The automatic, unconscious eye movements which were out of their control were also tracked.
Not only did participants routinely see the figure that produced favorable results, their eye motions indicated that they were never aware of the alternate option being available.
Other scientists who have studied the connection between belief and physiological reactions in the eye point to its possibilities in the world of positive thinking and self-motivation.
Determining whether a person walking towards you is smiling or smirking, how close the finish line seems in a race or how loud a partner—a wife, husband, lover—is yelling during an argument, are examples that could arise in life. Do we interpret ambiguous situations towards our expectations and hopes and away from our fears? That is the ultimate question.
In the Science of Being Well Home Study Course, you will find many examples and stories to help you develop your own powers of healing using simply the power of your mind. This is not revolutionary. These secrets have been around for ages. You will learn how to notice your thoughts for healing and how our eyes see what we want to see, not really what is there. To learn more, claim your FREE report of the First Secret to Abundant Health on www.thescienceofbeingwell.biz today!!
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Author: Laurence Magne
Without realizing it, people perceive things according to how they want to see them, a new study suggests.
"There is an age old hypothesis in psychology that a person's wishes, hopes and desires can influence what we see," said a Cornell University psychologist This theory had lay dormant for about 40 years, though, without any supporting evidence.
In five separate tests, 412 volunteers from Cornell were presented with an ambiguous picture that could be interpreted as two distinct figures—either a horse's head or the body of a seal, for example. They were told they would be assigned to a taste test of either fresh-squeezed orange juice or a gelatinous, clumpy and rather unappealing veggie smoothie, depending on whether they saw a farm animal or sea creature.
More often than not the participants chose the figure that would lead them to the juice.
The trick to making the study meaningful was making sure the test subjects didn't know what was going on, noting that the generally high IQ of Cornell students made cheating a real possibility.
The figures were chosen so we knew the people weren't just lying or playing tricks. The automatic, unconscious eye movements which were out of their control were also tracked.
Not only did participants routinely see the figure that produced favorable results, their eye motions indicated that they were never aware of the alternate option being available.
Other scientists who have studied the connection between belief and physiological reactions in the eye point to its possibilities in the world of positive thinking and self-motivation.
Determining whether a person walking towards you is smiling or smirking, how close the finish line seems in a race or how loud a partner—a wife, husband, lover—is yelling during an argument, are examples that could arise in life. Do we interpret ambiguous situations towards our expectations and hopes and away from our fears? That is the ultimate question.
In the Science of Being Well Home Study Course, you will find many examples and stories to help you develop your own powers of healing using simply the power of your mind. This is not revolutionary. These secrets have been around for ages. You will learn how to notice your thoughts for healing and how our eyes see what we want to see, not really what is there. To learn more, claim your FREE report of the First Secret to Abundant Health on www.thescienceofbeingwell.biz today!!
About the Author:
For the past 25 years, Dr Magne has been involved in the field of health and cancer research, investigating the reasons why we get sick, and whether we can get well outside of the medical field, using alternative solutions. She has counseled many clients and conducted many lectures and trainings.
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