Advertising is a type of hypnotism. I'm sure you've heard that you can't hypnotize someone into doing something against their will. The trick is, most people ar

Advertising is a type of hypnotism. I'm sure you've heard that you can't hypnotize someone into doing something against their will. The trick is, most people are unaware of what their wills actually are. We make choices quickly and unconsciously then retrace the decision making process after the fact. A suggestion that contradicts your natural tendencies isn't likely to affect your behavior. But there's a range of ways that hypnosis and advertising can nudge your brain into thinking a particular way and you'll come up with a justification for it that doesn't acknowledge the outside influence.