I was listening to the radio earlier today about the power of suggestion.
The host was talking about test case studies done on individuals with sugar pills. They indicated that groups of people were told they would be given a pill that would cure a specific ailment. Different pills were given for different illnesses. Some were given an actual prescription medicine, while others were given a sugar pill, a placebo.
When giving the sugar pills they indicated that different pills stimulated different responses in patients. For 
instance, very small pills, given several times a day were perceived by the test patients as strong, effective pills. However, when the small pills were taken only once or twice a day, they were perceived as ineffective.
Red pills were given to patients who were told that they were stimulants, because of the bright color.
Blue pills were used as tranquilizers, pills that provide a calming effect.
White, larger pills were called antacids.
Perceptions varied based on the size, shape and the color of the pill, as to whether the unknown placebos/sugar pills given to the patients were considered effective. I suppose you wouldn't give a patient a bright red pill and tell them that it was a tranquilizer. Maybe that's why the last ibruprofen tablet I took was bright red and bright yellow, to make me think that it would slow down and then stop the pain. It makes sense.
In studying placebos it's interesting to take note that the mind is a very powerful tool. The power of suggestion is very strong for many people, as so much of the research has found.
I couldn't help but make the correlation to the real estate market. Depending on who you talk to, different people will have very different perceptions of the real estate market, based on their knowledge, experience, or lack thereof, what they've heard, who they've talked to and so many other factors.
Some opinions are based strictly on what someone heard on TV or what one person told them.
That's why opinions vary so much on what is really going on in the real estate world.
How many opinions on the real estate market are based on fact and not on emotion?
Sandy Shores REALTOR®, Melbourne/Palm Bay FL Real Estate
Brevard County Real Estate & Investing
I also buy, sell, rent, own and manage Investment Property.
that for you
Sandy: Thought provoking to say the least. The mind is a very powerful tool. Emotions in our jobs are very important to pay attention to. All sales decisions are based on emotions.
Sandy you would love the movie "What The Bleep Do We Know" which shows how the way we feel literally can heal OR cause illness in our physiology. It's fascinating and very perception-altering.
I would say, in answer to your final question: I'd be surprised if the number was over 5% of the opinions. People in sales professions sell themselves all the time and often begin to 'believe their press' though logically they know better. Emotion wins. :)
Sandy
Great post, we control the power of suggestion for ourselves.
Good luck and success.
Lou Ludwig
Sandy, I am always amazed at how powerful our minds are. We only use an estimated 20% of it and what wonders does the other 80% hold...
Remember when we had weekends?
Paul
It is so true! I understand from reading certain material, that 1/3 of people will be "helped" by placebos. Fascinating stuff!
Sandy, I absolutely believe we can unknowingly because ourselves to become sick or "Think" ourselves well. The mind is more powerful then anything I can think of.
Sandy,
If I say...wouldn't a piece of cake be good right now. I bet you would want some cake...
;-)
Ann
I would want some cake Ann! LOL
Sandy, I think the power of suggestion is huge, our brains are like sponges - and we translate information real or imaginary into how we perceive our world- often without being aware of it.
News Reporting makes many people fearful, or they think the world is going to hell in a handbasket. But who wants to hear on the news that there were 600,000 people in a town who were not murdered today?
To really answer your question, I don't think many opinions about real estate are based on fact.
The power of the mind is fascinating and I love to read about the possibilities! I wish I were able to harness that power every day more effectively.
Ann, I'll have coffee with that cake:-)
very interesting thanks for that insight never thought of it like that
Mary and Dana,
Sandy likes chocolate cake so I hope you are on board for that!
Enjoy,
Ann
Great, now I am hungry!
There is a similar experiment to the placebo pills, with money: people who counted real money felt less discomfort afterwards from pain than people who counted similar size plain paper pieces.
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.support.chronic-pain/browse_thread/thread/437561c70104bc61
Go figure.
Gabe Gross, www.RealBird.com
There are so many ways to go with this in terms of bad puns and jokes, but I will just keep it basic. I found if I like a home my clients are more inclined to like it.
Thank you Ann, chocolate would probably be my first choice!
Sandy, I'm glad Ann is your friend too, we can have cake, take placebos, and now count a lot of cash thanks to Gabe, and we should all be feeling pretty well today!
Lacy C Gay, Sterling Real Estate and Auction, LLC, www.lacygay.com
Chris, I imagine that many decisions are made based on emotions. Our emotions are a part of us.
Candice, My mother in law battled cancer for over 4 years. She would not let us say that she had cancer and she refused to believe it herself. The doctors said that it was miraculous how long she lasted because of her state of mind.
Lou, We control the power of suggestion, and sometimes others help control ours, good or bad.
Hi Paul, I have heard that we only use a small percentage of our minds. Amazing, isn't it?
Myrl, I agree, it is fascinating stuff. It's the power of our own minds.
Carole, I wholeheartedly agree that we can think ourselves well, I've seen it.
Hi Ann, You must have read my mind, because when you said cake all I could think about was Jim's chocolate cake and you had me wishing for a piece of that. And now Mary said she wants a piece of cake. And now here it is...dig in Ann, Mary, Dana and Gregory. Looks delicious!
Terrell, So glad you stopped by....would you like a piece of cake?
Hi Gabe, Now that's interesting...feeling less pain from counting money...was it their own money? I could certainly imagine that you would be feeling no pain if you were counting a very large stack of hundred dollar bills, that were your own money. I bet you would be feeling pretty good! -Lol I hadn't heard that before.
Gene, I agree that it certainly makes for a much easier transaction when we like the house that our clients are buying.
Hi Mary, Well that sounds like a great party that you and Ann have started, thanks to the help of Jim's birthday cake. I would love to take sugar pills, eat chocolate cake and count stacks of Gabe's hundred dollar bills. Perhaps he would like to share the wealth with some of the rest of us. Okay, where do I need to be, at what time...count me in.
Lacy, I love Tony Robbins. He is amazing. I have heard the same thing. Tell yourself something, believe it and it will happen! I have his tapes and I pull them out about once a year to listen to them!
I wake up and tell my self every day: I am going to sell something. I think it really works. Well, I will let you know. :-)
Sandy,
Excellent post - and SO on the mark. Bob Proctor (www.bobproctor.com) has an entire study on the mind and how it works; and also how you can harness the energy of ones mind to accomplish great things.
I, too, have read reports where cancer patients in a study all thought they were taking an experimental drug (all placebos) and 47% actually "got better" (not fully in remission, but symptoms decreased or went away). That, to me, proves how powerful the mind is.
Timely post--thank you!
Sandy,
Let's have a party!!
Ann Hayden remaining positive in Wildwood, MO
Our subconscious mind controls what we are able to achieve, if we do not believe subconscious we want be able to achieve. The mind is powerful and tricky :-). I Love choclate cake, ok now we know how it works, my mouth is watering...
Sandy, I like using the power of suggestion when "assuming" the sale. It is like the Clients are too embarrassed to say no and they buy
Sandy, you might find this TED talk by Dan Pink very interesting: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html It's along the lines of motivation, reward and the power of suggestion.
It's truly amazing. Your blog really made me appreciate all of those psch courses in college.
Sandy, The power of positive thinking AND believing! I believe it works too! Keep it up.
Valerie. I love psychology and since high school I try to read every psychology book that I can get my hands on, as I find the power of the mind so fascinating.
Ann, Mary, and I are ready, you bring the cake... I can't wait! I'll be sure that Dana and Gregory are coming too!
Barbara, I agree that power of our subconscious mind is incredible. And Ann is making everyones mouth water with that chocolate cake of hers! LOL
Mark, Suggestion can be a powerful tool in motivating a buyer or seller.
Hi John, Thanks so much for sharing the clip. Fascinating stuff!
Hi Mike, See, and you thought you'd never use them anywhere else!
The mind is a powerful thing. We have to stay positive to make it out there these days.
Sandy, perception IS our reality and is like a powerful drug.... great post!
Sandy,
I am positive you need to check out your latest post. It seems to be having an issue.....
Ann
What is most amazing are the buyers out there who think they can just "steal" a property at say, 40% off listing just because a friend or some "expert" told them they can. They believe someone other than the RE professional. And, there is the media spreading so many facts and figures that may or may not be relevant to a local market and at the same time totally confuse one and all. How can we overcome such suggestive nonsense?
Hi Jirius, I agree, it's all about our attitude and how we view the world. That determines what the outcome will be for us.
Gary, I agree. You said it beautifully, that perception is our reality. So true.
Hi Ann, Thanks I appreciate it!
Hi Bill, There is alot of misinformation in the marketplace. And I know the media drives the market, whether good or bad. It makes it rather difficult sometimes, that's for sure.