Why What You Say Matters: Hypnotic Language Patterns That Can Influence the Way You Think
Whether it’s the social media influencer convincing you to try a fancy new diet, the car salesman persuading you to choose the more expensive model, or the manipulative family member who wants everyone at the dinner table to think they’re right...language patterns can significantly influence the way we perceive what others are saying.
Today, I want to reveal some tricky little language patterns based on hypnosis techniques. These patterns are commonly used by advertisers, salespeople and other public figures when attempting to influence your decision.
Be on the lookout for these sneaky speech patterns and don’t let yourself get taken in by their wicked words!
Hypnotic Language Pattern 1: The mind read
Have you ever been given a sales pitch where the person selling to you claims to know your thoughts, feelings or emotions? They might say things like, “I bet you’re really happy about that” or “I can tell you recognise the value in this product”.
This language technique is known as the ‘mind read’ because the person engaging in it is attempting to tap into what they believe is going on in your brain in order to get you on side by making you feel as though they really do understand you.
Hypnotic Language Pattern 2: Lost performatives
We’ve all met people who talk about their personal beliefs in a way that makes it sound as though the whole world needs to agree with them. In fact, these kinds of speakers are rife on social media - like the influencers whose ‘opinion’ is stated as fact.
Lost performatives might pop up in phrases like “you need meat in your diet to be healthy” or “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. These phrases are delivered in a way that implies they are factual - but look out for whether the speaker actually has any data to back up their claims!
Hypnotic Language Pattern 3: Cause and effect statements
You’ll definitely have come across ‘cause and effect’ statements that suggest a particular outcome is entirely due to a certain cause, whether or not that’s actually the case. For example, “watching TV makes you stupid” or “my legs hurt because I’m old”.
Let’s take a minute to unpack these statements. Does the act of watching TV actually cause our brains to degenerate? And can the person with the painful legs put it all down to their age - or do they perhaps need to improve their diet or get more exercise?
Watch out for cause-and-effect statements that make insubstantial links between two unrelated concepts.
Hypnotic Language Pattern 4: Complex equivalents
A little like cause-and-effect statements, complex equivalents aim to equate two things that often aren’t directly related to each other. In a relationship, this might sound like “coming home late is the same thing as not wanting to spend time at home with me” - the assumption that one action is due to another one.
In advertising, this could run along the lines of “if you’re not wealthy by the time you’re 70, you never will be” - followed up, of course, by a glossy sales pitch about how to get rich in record time so you can avoid this pitfall!
Hypnotic Language Pattern 5: Universal quantifiers
This sneaky little speech pattern implies that the person has no choice, because what’s being said is presented as a black-and-white, undisputable fact (even if it’s not). For example, “we all know how hard it is to lose weight” or “you can never learn about the stock exchange without the help of an expert”.
Universal quantifiers are often used by salespeople to convince you that there’s no other option than the one they’re proposing (i.e. by buying what they’re selling). So watch out for this trick and take a moment to consider whether you do, in fact, have an alternative.