I picked up a book titled Brainwashing,The Science of Thought Control from a local library without knowing what to expect. Majority of the book covers technical aspects of the brain functioning and brainwashing (and how to avoid being brainwashed), which I skimmed past. However, I did find some useful information in the neuroscience section where the author elucidates the reasons behind brain change, beliefs, emotions, how brains generate actions, self-control, and free will. Author poses some intriguing questions such as, 'does the feeling of an emotion comes first and trigger the bodily responses, or is it the other way round?'
In communication we know the importance of stories and metaphors due to its powerful impact and the ability to connect with the recipient of the message. The reason is mainly because the signals from strongly connected neurons travel faster than loosely connected neurons. And one of the reasons for the strong connection is the 'feeling of emotions' generated during the story-telling. Emotions create stronger bonding because during the 'feeling of emotions' interaction between body and brain takes place.
Why do we tend to remember simple messages more than the complex ones? Because simple ideas with a few components form simple connections, which are stronger than the complicated connections.
Overall, the book is an interesting read to understand the most important organ in our body, which still remains a mystery to the science, and the author rightly suggests it to be a traitor in our skull.
