> there does seem to be a phenomenon where saying DO NOT DO X causes a sort of attention bias on X which can lead to X occurring despite the clear instructions

> there does seem to be a phenomenon where saying DO NOT DO X causes a sort of attention bias on X which can lead to X occurring despite the clear instructions It's a thing with people too[1], ie do not think about a white bear. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironic_process_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironic_process_theory