How do people manipulate perceptions?

People manipulate perceptions through various tactics as discussed in several podcast episodes by Andrew Huberman.

1. Thermal Manipulation: Enhanced sleep quality was achieved through thermal manipulation, altering perceptions of sleep onset and deep sleep by changing body temperature 1.

2. Mate Retention Tactics: In relationships, individuals employ psychological manipulations to manage and alter perceptions. Tactics include derogatory comments to lower a partner’s self-esteem or display of anger to induce guilt - all aiming to adjust the perceived mate value 2.

3. Psychological and Sensory Strategies: Hypnotists use strategies involving stating half-truths mixed with plausible facts. This approach leads people to accept inaccuracies as truth, thus manipulating perceptions subtly 3.

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     1

     Sleep and Temperature

     01:54:40
     
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     2

     Mate Retention Tactics

     01:25:15
     
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     3

     Hypotheses and Perception

     01:16:28
     
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     4

     Attentional Spotlighting

     01:19:13
     
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     5

     Memory Manipulation

     00:24:06
     

4. Attentional Spotlighting: Manipulation of perception through attentional spotlighting involves guiding someone's focus to amplify certain elements of reality while diminishing others, impacting how they perceive and react to situations 4.

5. Memory Confabulation: Memory systems are utilized as confabulation systems, where people may be led to believe in a collective but inaccurate memory, shaping their perception based on false recollections 5.

These examples illustrate different psychological and physiological techniques people use to influence perceptions in various contexts, ranging from interpersonal relationships to sleep science.