How to Coach Yourself and Others How to Influence, Persuade and Motivate | Page 310

One amazing example of the placebo effect occurred in Israel in 1991.
Israeli citizens were seen wearing gas masks during scud bombings.
Shortly thereafter, hospitals reported dozens of people complaining of
symptoms from weapons that were never used. The gas masks were just a
form of protection in case of chemical or biological warfare, but just
seeing others wearing one caused people to become ill!
I have even used the placebo effect on my daughter. At times, she has
trouble sleeping at night and needs a little nudge. I tell her I have a special
pill (vitamin) that will put her right to sleep in five minutes. Without fail,
she is happily sleeping before the five minutes are up.
[9]Wilson Bryan, The Age of Manipulation (Lanham, Md.: Madison Books,
1989), p. 189.

Time Expectations
In our modern world, we are bound by time. This being the case, we have
certain expectations about how time works and how long it will take us to
accomplish something. Often, time becomes distorted through our
perceptions and expectations. Why do some afternoons speed by faster
than others? And why do we finish projects one minu