Flushing in (Neuro)endocrinology – PMC

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Skin Blushing and Flushing: Pictures, Causes, and Prevention

Skin flushing occurs because of increased blood flow, which may be due to menopause and certain conditions or medications. Depending on the cause, there may be several options to help treat or prevent skin flushing.

Sudden redness or discoloration in your face or upper body can be concerning, especially if you aren’t experiencing other unusual symptoms. But the onset of skin flushing, or blushing, isn’t necessarily a serious problem, especially if it’s not a recurring issue.

How do you know whether skin flushing or blushing is a sign of a more serious medical concern? Learn more about the most common causes of this sudden skin discoloration and when to contact a doctor.

Skin flushing, or blushing, happens due to increased blood flow. Whenever more blood flows to an area of skin, such as your cheeks, the blood vessels enlarge to compensate. This enlargement is what gives skin the “flushed” effect.

Due to this increased blood flow, you may feel warmth around your neck, upper chest, or face.

On lighter skin tones, this flushing may result in patches of visible reddening. On darker skin tones, flushing may not result in reddening of the skin but may instead cause discoloration or darkening of the affected area.

Flushed skin is a common physical response to:

• anxiety
• stress
• embarrassment
• anger
• other extreme emotional states

Facial flushing is usually more of a social worry than a medical concern.

However, flushing can result from an underlying medical issue, such as Cushing syndrome or a niacin overdose. Check with a healthcare professional if you have recurring skin flushing or blushing.

The symptoms associated with skin flushing may vary due to its underlying cause. Some may be temporary or manageable at home, while others may relate to more severe conditions that require medical attention.

In general, the many causes of skin flushing or blushing tend to cause the following:

• skin discoloration in your face, neck, chest, or upper trunk
• feelings of warmth or sweating in the affected areas
• rapid onset of the above symptoms

Many different conditions can cause skin flushing, according to the National Health Service (NHS). Here are some possible causes.

Menopause

Menopause occurs when hormone production in the ovaries decreases and menstrual periods stop permanently. The symptoms are primarily related to lower production of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone.

Other symptoms of menopause may include:

• hot flashes
• vaginal dryness and pain with intercourse
• insomnia
• frequent urination or urinary incontinence
• decreased libido
• depression
• mood swings
• genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)

Hot flashes may lead to skin flushing and blushing, particularly in the face and chest areas.

A 2018 review estimated that 50 to 85 percent of women over 45 regularly experience hot flashes and night sweats.

Menopause symptoms can last for months or years, depending on the person. Hot flashes may last for 14 years after menopause, according to the Office on Women’s Health.

Rosacea

Share on PinterestSkin flushing or blushing is caused by increased blood flow to the affected region, leading to reddening of the skin. Many health conditions can cause it, such as menopause, rosacea, headaches, nephritis, Cushing disease, and other autoimmune conditions. Photography courtesy of Case Rep Ophthalmol Med./NCBI

This chronic skin disease goes through cycles of fading and relapse. Relapses may be caused by:

• eating spicy foods
• alcoholic beverages
• sunlight
• stress
• the intestinal bacteria Helicobacter pylori

Four subtypes of rosacea encompass a wide variety of symptoms. Other common symptoms include:

• facial flushing
• raised skin bumps
• facial skin discoloration
• skin dryness
• skin sensitivity

While the cause of rosacea is unknown, inflammation of the blood vessels from stress, spicy foods, and hot temperatures may worsen the condition. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says that fair-skinned women between the ages of 30 and 50 are the most susceptible.

Erythema infectiosum (“fifth disease”)

Share on PinterestChildren can also experience skin flushing. It will present as areas of red skin, usually on the cheeks. Fifth disease, fever, Kawasaki disease, medications, and eating spicy foods usually causes it. Maarten van de Voort Images & Photographs/Getty Images

Fifth disease is the result of a virus. It can cause a rash on the cheeks, arms, and legs.

It’s commonly spread among elementary school children and usually results in mild flu-like symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that fifth disease is more likely to appear in children than adults.

Other symptoms include:

• fatigue
• low fever
• sore throat
• runny nose
• diarrhea
• nausea

Agoraphobia

This type of anxiety disorder causes people to avoid places and situations that might make them feel trapped, helpless, or embarrassed.

Agoraphobia causes:

• fear of leaving the home for extended periods
• fear of being alone in social situations
• fear of being in places that would be difficult to escape

As anxiety increases, the NHS says that your skin may flush and feel hot to the touch.

Other symptoms may include:

• feelings of fear or dread
• nausea
• increased heart rate
• chest pain
• dizziness
• trembling
• increased sweating

Scarlet fever

Share on PinterestScarlet fever is a rash that is associated with a strep throat infection. By www.badobadop.co.uk via Wikimedia Commons

Scarlet fever occurs at the same time as or right after a strep throat infection.

Scarlet fever results in a discolored skin rash all over the body. According to a 2015 study, the rash typically starts on the upper trunk but does not spread to the palms or soles of the feet.

This rash often includes tiny bumps that make it feel like “sandpaper. ” Another symptom is a bright red tongue.

The CDC says that a scarlet fever rash typically develops within 2 days after getting sick but may develop 1 week later.

Hyperthyroidism

Share on PinterestA person experiencing a neck goiter caused by hyperthyroidism. By Drahreg01 via Wikimedia Commons

This condition occurs when the thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone, leading to an excessively high metabolic rate.

Hyperthyroidism results from a variety of conditions, including:

• an autoimmune disease called Graves’ disease
• nodules or tumors
• medications
• excess iodine
• inflammation of the thyroid (thyroiditis)

The AAD says that hyperthyroidism can cause facial skin flushing and discoloration in the palms. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), other symptoms may include:

• rapid heart rate
• elevated blood pressure
• hand tremors
• low tolerance for heat
• diarrhea
• weight loss
• nervousness
• restlessness
• difficulty sleeping
• nausea and vomiting
• menstrual irregularities

Pyelonephritis

Pyelonephritis is a serious infection located in the upper parts of the urinary tract, including the kidneys.

Common symptoms include:

• fever
• chills
• body aches
• nausea
• vomiting
• pain in the abdomen, groin, or back

According to a 2019 study, fever may be the only symptom in children under 2.

Cloudy or bloody urine, pain with urination, and frequent urination may also occur.

The NIDDK says that if you’re 65 years or older, this kidney infection may not cause the more typical symptoms. Instead, it may lead to hallucinations, problems speaking, and confusion.

Cluster headaches

Cluster headache is a rare headache disorder that can affect up to 0.1% of the population. People with this disorder can experience painful headaches that last for 15 to 180 minutes that may occur once every other day to up to 8 times per day, according to 2018 research. Attacks may be more likely to happen at night.

Cluster headaches can cause constant and deep burning or piercing pain on one side of the head. They can result in facial flushing.

You may feel this pain behind the eyes. Pain may spread to other areas on the same side, including the:

• forehead
• temples
• teeth
• nose
• neck
• shoulders

Other symptoms of cluster headaches include:

• constricted pupils
• excessive tearing
• eye redness
• sensitivity to light
• swelling under or around one or both of your eyes
• a runny nose or stuffy nose
• nausea

Yellow fever

Share on PinterestYellow fever can cause facial flushing along with flu-like symptoms. By Bobjgalindo via Wikimedia Commons

Yellow fever is a serious, potentially deadly, flu-like viral disease that mosquitoes spread. It’s most prevalent in certain parts of Africa and South America.

Vaccination can help prevent yellow fever. According to National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), you can expect to be immune 10 days after getting the vaccine, with protective effects lasting at least 10 years.

Initial symptoms of the infection are similar to those of the influenza virus, including:

• flushed face
• fever
• chills
• headache
• body aches
• loss of appetite

The CDC says that during the toxic phase of infection, initial symptoms may appear 3 to 6 days after an infected mosquito has bitten you.

Autonomic dysreflexia (autonomic hyperreflexia)

With this condition, your involuntary nervous system overreacts to external or bodily stimuli.

Autonomic dysreflexia is a medical emergency and may require urgent attention.

It most commonly occurs in people with spinal cord injuries above the sixth thoracic vertebra, or T6. It may also affect people with multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and certain head or brain injuries.

Along with flushing of the skin, symptoms include:

• irregular or racing heartbeat
• high blood pressure
• profuse sweating
• confusion
• dizziness
• dilated pupils

Cushing syndrome

Cushing syndrome occurs due to unusually high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the blood. The NIDDK says that it’s most common in adults ages 30 to 50 and can lead to flushing on the face and neck.

Other symptoms include:

• obesity
• fatty deposits, especially in the midsection, face, and back
• acne
• fatigue
• muscle weakness
• glucose intolerance
• high blood pressure
• headaches

People with Cushing syndrome may also have thinning skin that bruises easily and heals slowly and purple stretch marks. These may appear on the

• breasts
• arms
• abdomen
• thighs

Niacin overdose

Niacin flush is a common and harmless side effect of taking high doses of supplemental niacin (vitamin B3).

Alongside facial flushing, you may experience an itching or burning sensation. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this usually occurs after taking supplements of 30 milligrams or more.

Tolerance and a decrease in symptoms may occur over time.

There are many specific causes of facial flushing, such as heightened emotional states or eating spicy foods. Several medications and medical conditions may also cause skin flushing.

Medications

The AAD says that several medications can cause flushing as a side effect. These include drugs that treat inflammation, high blood pressure, anxiety, and other conditions. These medications may include:

• corticotropin-releasing hormone
• doxorubicin (Lipodox, Doxil)
• glucocorticoids
• vasodilators, such as nitroglycerin (Rectiv, Nitro-Time, Nitrolingual)
• calcium channel blockers
• morphine (Arymo ER, MorphaBond ER, MS Contin) and other opiates
• amyl nitrite and butyl nitrite
• cholinergic drugs, such as metrifonate, and anthelmintic drugs
• bromocriptine (Parlodel, Cycloset)
• thyrotropin-releasing hormone
• tamoxifen (Soltamox)
• cyproterone acetate (not available in the U.S.)
• oral triamcinolone
• cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral, Gengraf)
• rifampin (Rifadin)
• sildenafil citrate (Viagra, Revatio)

Talk with a doctor if you think any prescription or over-the-counter medication may contribute to your flushing symptoms. Never stop taking any medications without discussing them with a medical professional first.

Warning: Stopping medication

Never stop taking a prescribed medication without doctor guidance. Dangerous side effects can occur, depending on the medication.

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Spicy foods

According to the AAD, consuming spicy foods, such as peppers or products derived from the Capsicum family of plants, can cause sudden skin discoloration and sweat on the face or neck. These include:

• cayenne peppers
• paprika
• chili peppers
• red peppers

Eating these foods may raise your body temperature, increasing blood flow and causing facial discoloration. Handling these types of foods can also cause skin irritation.

Emotional triggers

Extreme emotions, such as stress, anger, and embarrassment, can cause flushing in the face.

These emotions can also coincide with an acute increase in blood pressure. Still, high blood pressure itself is not a cause of flushing, according to the American Heart Association.

Other risk factors

Other possible causes of facial blushing include:

• drinking alcohol, especially red wine
• hot beverages
• high temperatures
• fever
• cold weather
• inflammatory conditions
• allergies
• certain cosmetics and skin products
• contact dermatitis

Treating any underlying conditions causing your flushing is often the best remedy. For example, the NHS says that a doctor may recommend medications or a course of psychotherapy to reduce feelings of anxiety if that’s the cause.

However, home health options include avoiding specific triggers, such as:

• spicy foods
• hot beverages
• toxins
• bright sunlight
• extreme cold or heat

Removing yourself from high-stress situations may also help prevent flushing.

It’s important to get immediate medical care for unusual symptoms of flushing. Also, contact a doctor if you’re having recurring episodes, since flushing can be linked to serious medical conditions.

A 2016 review suggests that doctors should take an inventory of symptoms to determine the underlying cause of flushing. The doctor may ask you about your symptoms’ frequency, duration, location, and the context during which they appear.

A medical exam and history will help supply the required information for a healthcare professional to make a diagnosis. Be sure to mention other co-occurring symptoms, such as diarrhea, shallow breathing, or hives, so the doctor may evaluate them.

If the doctor finds your symptoms are emotionally based, they may refer you to a psychotherapist. These professionals can teach you skills to help you cope with extreme emotional events and prevent flushing.

Flushing does not commonly result in serious medical problems but may cause feelings of embarrassment or social anxiety.

However, in some instances, a serious condition can be the underlying cause of flushing. Without treatment, the underlying condition can lead to complications.

There is no definitive method for preventing flushing. However, you can do some things to reduce the risk of these episodes:

• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink: Some people are more prone to redness and warmth on the skin after drinking alcohol. In these people, an enzyme that helps break down alcohol is inactive, resulting in alcohol intolerance.
• Limit your handling and eating of spicy foods: You may benefit from avoiding foods derived from the Capsicum genus.
• Try to avoid extreme temperatures: Extreme temperatures and excessive bright sunlight may all result in skin flushing.
• Limit your niacin intake: The daily allowance recommended by the NIH is 14 to 16 milligrams for adults, unless a healthcare professional tells you differently.
• Employ coping skills: Regulating extreme emotions such as anxiety may help you to reduce the frequency of your blushing.

Skin flushing or blushing occurs when blood vessels near the skin surface enlarge to accommodate an increased blood flow.

When this happens, you may experience redness or other skin discoloration, as well as feelings of warmth in the affected areas.

Skin flushing can result from an underlying condition such as rosacea and hyperthyroidism. Or you may experience it during periods of extreme emotions, such as stress or embarrassment.

Typically, the condition is not a medical emergency and will resolve with time. However, if you experience repeated, severe flushes, contact your doctor for a full diagnosis.

How to keep a clear head when we are brainwashed

Personal qualities and skills

August 29, 2014

Paolo Chiabrando / Unsplash

There is not a person in the world who has not been manipulated at least once. No matter how smart and educated we consider ourselves, everyone will remember how more than once, not two, or even ten, he succumbed to the persuasion of a fraudster, for example, in the guise of a gypsy or a psychic, advertising, political propaganda. And it’s good if you can just forget an unpleasant episode, but sometimes it affects our lives quite seriously.

Let me give you an example. Two friends who once studied together at a prestigious Moscow university, then worked in the same company, were family friends, modern people, moreover, IT people, with a mathematical mindset, skeptical, ironic, suddenly became enemies overnight. Almost any conversation now ended in mutual attacks, insults, screams. Eventually they stopped talking altogether. And it all started with the fact that one half a year I worked in the Kiev branch of the company, watched TV and listened to the radio there, and the other stayed in Moscow and received information from Russian sources. When they met, each was convinced that the other had been brainwashed. And they were both right.

This is just one example, but today the front line is in offices, on social networks, in families. Hostility, aggression swept society. This worries me very much, both as a practicing psychologist and as a citizen.

In order to keep a clear head, to prevent discord in relations with loved ones, not to start massively “destroying” friends in social networks, it is important not to succumb to the glamor of suggested “knowledge”. And for this, let’s try to figure out how the brainwashing mechanism works.

Brainwashing: how it works

The term brainwashing was first used in a sensational 1950 Miami News article by journalist (and CIA propaganda officer) Edward Hunter. He literally translated into English the Chinese expression “si-nao” – “brainwash”: this is how they spoke of the methods of forced persuasion, which the Chinese, brought up in the pre-revolutionary era, eradicated the “feudal” way of thinking.

Later, it was described in detail how during the Korean War (1951-1953), which was fought between two Koreas – South (among its allies were the United States) and North (the Chinese army fought on its side), the Chinese Communists in their controlled prisoner of war camps achieved profound behavioral changes in American soldiers, how psychological and physical influence destroyed the individuality of a person, his whole worldview was changed.

When manipulating mass consciousness, physical methods are not used, but the same psychological “three-part” mechanism is used: turn off the ratio (reduce critical thinking), cause fear (create a threat), put a person on the hook of a rescuer (offer a way out).

Turn off the ratio

Usually a person perceives the information received quite critically. People instinctively resist the new, do not take anything for granted. We scrutinize the shoes we’re about to buy, sniff the food before we put it in our mouths, be suspicious of the news: “Come on, that doesn’t happen.” But when zombified, our ratio no longer works, and we are ready to believe in anything. Why? Our realistic adult is being turned into a frightened child. Criticism and all other means of psychological protection of the individual are “turned off” in our country. And we begin to operate with images and “facts” of artificially created and imposed on us social mythology. As Kozma Prutkov said, “many people are like sausages: what they stuff them with, they carry in themselves. ”

Cause fear

How do you turn an adult rational person into a trusting child? Threatening his basic needs. The harshest example is the brainwashing of American prisoners in Korean camps or people who have fallen into sects. At first, a person is isolated from the familiar environment and alternative sources of information so that the old attitudes and beliefs are not reinforced from the outside and the victim becomes completely dependent on the new owners.

Next comes the turn of vital human needs: they are deprived of food, sleep, basic amenities. Quite quickly, he becomes weak-willed and helpless: if basic needs are not satisfied, values ​​and beliefs fade into the background. When the “object” is completely, physically and spiritually, exhausted, the owners begin to inspire him with new “truths”. For good behavior – a rejection of previous views – little by little food is given out, they are allowed to sleep, and conditions are improved. Gradually, a person accepts a new value system and agrees to cooperate.

Paradoxically, the same method is used in advertising. Of course, we are not deprived of food, water or sleep, but we are immersed in an imaginary world of hunger, thirst, lack of the most necessary – the more talented advertising, the more reliable the images of people exhausted by lack of sleep, sexual dissatisfaction, hunger, thirst, the faster we turn into a “frightened child” and submit to the power of someone who will put us out of our misery with, for example, potato chips, new-flavored chewing gum, soda water.

The main thing is to make us afraid in any way. Anything: insomnia, hunger, fascism, threats to children. This fear is absolutely irrational, but intimidated people will do anything, even that which is not profitable for them. For example, it is enough just to say the spell “international terrorism” – and we no longer protest when we are searched at the airport, forced to take off our shoes and turn out our pockets.

Manipulation of consciousness involves playing on feelings, appealing to the subconscious, fears and prejudices, and any of us have them. National stereotypes and myths are played out. Every nation has something that you can put pressure on, something to hook on. Every nation is afraid of something. Russians, for example, are fascists. Behind this word are millions of dead, hatred for the enemies who “burned down my native hut, ruined my entire family”, something very terrible. And the context doesn’t matter anymore. This key opens the door to the subconscious, actualizes fears, puts pressure on our pain points. This technique especially affects people with a more developed right hemisphere: these are the majority of women, poorly educated men, and children.

They hit the target and “dead words”, different depending on the case. In propaganda, these are “fascists”, “bombing”, “junta”. In advertising – “insomnia”, “pain”, “thirst”. The gypsy has a different set: “conspiracy to death”, “crown of celibacy”, “family curse”. It is as if a person is driven into a narrowed space, in which there is no place for argumentation, where labels, infantile phrases are used, where reality is explained by simple “childish” formulas. “Dead Words” is not designed for critical perception. They must trigger a certain emotional reaction: fear, a sense of threat.

Don’t think that this is possible in one country and not in another. Of course, somewhere people are generally “more mature”, more rational, better aware of their rights. And somewhere more infantile, inspired, living with myths, emotions, with a more “childish” consciousness. Our people are more of a “childish” type. In addition, we are a repeatedly “wounded” nation, we have many real fears: famine, repressions, revolutions, wars. Our people have had to experience a lot of things from which it is difficult to escape, but which is very easy to influence.

Insert rescue hook

A person was frightened, deprived of self-control and the ability to think critically. And now, when he already feels like a victim and seeks salvation, a “rescuer” appears to him. And the man is ready to carry out his any orders.

This technique is well developed among the Gypsies. Their victims give them everything voluntarily. When I conducted psychotherapeutic methods, people came to me more than once, from whom the gypsies pulled out all the money. “How so? They didn’t threaten me with a knife or a gun, ”reasonable people were surprised in hindsight. The focus is simple. First, the gypsy wins over the victim. Then he suddenly “notices” “damage”, “the crown of celibacy”, “the evil eye and a terrible disease”. Anyone will be frightened, and in a state of passion, we are easily suggestible. At this moment, the gypsy transforms into a “rescuer”: “It is not difficult to help your grief. This is the evil eye of the envious. Gold the handle.” And then she can do whatever she wants with a person.

When faced with difficulties, we look for simple answers and seek to remedy the situation with simple actions, including those that are completely unreasonable. In advertising, “salvation” is also always offered through pseudo-logic, building a causal relationship between phenomena that have nothing in common: if you drink this coffee, you will become rich, if you chew this gum, girls will like you, you will wash with this powder, and your husband will never will go to another.

Propaganda “works” the same way. They frighten us with what we are truly afraid of: wars, fascism, the junta, the dead, the wounded. And against the backdrop of all this nightmare, they show – this is the way of salvation: for example, to create a strong state that will protect, which everyone else is afraid of.

It is easier to fool people in a mass than individually. People, communicating, influence each other, infect one another with their emotions. Panic is especially contagious. In 1897, at the annual meeting of the Imperial Military Medical Academy, V.M. Bekhterev in his speech “The Role of Suggestion in Public Life” said: “At present, there is so much talk about physical infection … that, in my opinion, it is not superfluous to recall … mental infection, the microbes of which, although not visible under a microscope, but … like real physical microbes, they act everywhere and everywhere and are transmitted through the words and gestures of those around us, through books, newspapers, etc. , in a word – wherever we are … we … are in danger of being mentally infected.

That is why the impact on one person requires special professionalism, and in the masses the infection occurs instantly – it is difficult to resist when everyone around behaves in a certain way. The crowd effect works even if everyone is sitting in front of their own separate TV.

Basic brainwashing techniques

I always remembered Bulgakov’s professor Preobrazhensky’s advice: “Don’t read Soviet newspapers before dinner” – and followed it, primarily in relation to our TV. But I had to take a fair dose of the “poison” of today’s media in order to understand the methods and techniques that are used to shape public opinion. All these techniques are based on the laws of the functioning of the human psyche. I tried to analyze and systematize them so that they become easily recognizable. Of course, everyone will be able to supplement my list with their own observations. I hope all this will help to build your own protective barrier and save yourself.

Distraction

How does a gypsy distract attention? First, a meaningless phrase: “You can ask how to get through …”. Then – a sharp change in topic, intonation: “Oh, girl, I can see by your face that you will have two coffins in your family!”, “Oh, sufferer, your husband is cheating on you, and you know the homeowner.” Changing the topic plunges the victim into confusion, the ability to think is turned off, the subconscious reacts to “dead words”. A person is paralyzed by sticky fear, his heart is pounding, his legs give way.

For propaganda, as well as for any other kind of manipulation, it is important to suppress a person’s psychological resistance to suggestion. If, at the time of transmission of the message, the attention of the addressee is diverted from its content, then it is difficult to comprehend it and find counterarguments. And counterarguments are the basis of resistance to suggestion.

In what way is our attention diverted?

Information kaleidoscope. How is the TV show usually structured? Short stories follow one another, interspersed with announcements, advertisements, frames flash by, a line with additional news runs at the bottom. At the same time, important information is diluted with rumors from the life of celebrities, from the world of fashion, etc. In ten minutes of watching TV, so many images flash before our eyes that it is impossible to concentrate on anything. This kaleidoscope of disparate information, which a person is not able to comprehend and process, is perceived as a whole. Our attention is scattered, criticality is reduced – and we are open to any “garbage”.

Splitting the topic. If information needs to be introduced into consciousness without causing resistance, it is crushed into parts – then it is not easy to comprehend the whole. It seems that everyone reported – something earlier, something later, but in such a way that it is difficult to concentrate and understand what was actually said and what happened.

Sensational and urgent. Often in news programs they impose on us: “Sensation!”, “Urgent!”, “Exclusive!”. The urgency of the message is usually false, far-fetched, but the goal is achieved – attention is diverted. Although the sensation itself is not worth a damn: an elephant gave birth in a zoo, a scandal in the family of a politician, Angelina Jolie had an operation. Such “sensations” are a reason to keep silent about important things that the public does not need to know about.

Information flickers, we are bombarded with “urgent” and “sensational” news – informational noise and high levels of nervousness reduce our ability to criticize and make us more suggestible.

When our brain works at a high speed, it increasingly turns on the “autopilot” and we begin to think in stereotypes, ready-made formulas. In addition, we are forced to rely on the information offered, there is simply no time to check it – and it is easy for the manipulator to convert us to the “correct” faith.

Focus on the secondary. It is also very easy to distract us from pressing social problems. The announcer will talk about a law that seriously worsens the lives of the majority as something of no particular importance.

It’s like reporting the news in a small circulation newspaper, and even printing it in small print. But the arguments about the ban on the import of lace underwear, the story of the giraffe will be washed by all the media. And now we are worried.

To take our attention away from reality, we need to create a replacement for it. The media can dictate what we think about by imposing their own agenda for discussion. They throw a ball at us, and we recklessly try to grab it and “play”, forgetting about pressing problems.

Illusion of authenticity

The strongest emotional response creates a feeling of authenticity of events. We seem to fall into this strange reality, not suspecting that this may be a cheap reception, staging, editing.

Presence effect. The film “Apocalypse Now” shows how news stories are filmed. “Run without looking back, as if you were at war!” the director demands. And people run, bend down, noise, explosions, everything is as it really is. Of course, there is honest journalism, and reporters often risk their lives, but such tricks are not uncommon, especially when it comes to propaganda.

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The Big Laundry: How to Avoid Being Brainwashed

The author of several bestselling books, psychologist Marina Melia took up, in her opinion, not the most pleasant occupation – she watched Russian television a lot and regularly, in particular the news. There she looked for examples of methods and techniques that modern media use to shape public opinion. All the information about this is included in the chapter of her new book “Simply about complex – How to keep a clear head when we are brainwashed? » , published by » Alpina Publisher » . Forbes publishes excerpts from this chapter.

There is hardly a person who has not been a victim of manipulation at least once. No matter how smart and educated we may consider ourselves, everyone will remember how more than once or twice he succumbed to the persuasion of a fraudster – for example, in the guise of a gypsy or a psychic, fell under the influence of advertising or political propaganda. And it’s good if you can just forget an unpleasant episode, but sometimes it affects our lives quite seriously.

A typical example. Two friends who once studied together at a prestigious Moscow university, then worked in the same IT company, were family friends – modern people, with a mathematical mindset, skeptical, ironic – suddenly suddenly became enemies. Almost any conversation now ended in mutual attacks, insults, screams. Eventually they stopped talking altogether. And it all started with the fact that just during the period of the Ukrainian events in 2014, one worked for six months in the Kiev branch of the company, watched Ukrainian television and listened to local radio, while the other remained in Moscow and received information from Russian sources. When they met, each was convinced that the other had been brainwashed. And they were both right.

In order to keep a clear head, prevent discord in relationships with loved ones, and not start massively “destroying” friends in social networks, it is important to learn how to resist suggestion and manipulation. And for this it is worth understanding how the brainwashing mechanism works.

How it works

For the first time the term brainwashing was used in his sensational article, published in 1950 in the Miami News, by a journalist (and at the same time an employee of the CIA propaganda department) Edward Hunter. He literally translated into English the Chinese expression “si-nao” – “brainwash”: this is how they spoke about the methods of forced persuasion, which eradicated the “feudal” mentality of the Chinese, brought up in the pre-revolutionary era.

Later, it was described in detail how during the Korean War of 1951-1953, which was fought between two Koreas – South (among its allies was the United States) and North (the Chinese army fought on its side), the Chinese Communists in the camps they controlled for prisoners of war achieved profound behavioral changes in American soldiers, how the individuality of a person was destroyed by psychological and physical influence, his whole worldview was changed.

At first, the “object” was isolated from the familiar environment and alternative sources of information, so that the old attitudes and beliefs were not reinforced from the outside. Then came the turn of vital needs: a person was deprived of food, sleep, basic amenities. Very soon, he became weak-willed and helpless: if basic needs are not satisfied, values ​​and beliefs willy-nilly fade into the background. When the victim was physically and spiritually exhausted and became completely dependent on the “owners”, they were inspired by new “truths”. For good behavior – a rejection of previous views – they gradually gave out food, allowed to sleep, improved conditions. Gradually, the person accepted the new value system and agreed to cooperate.

When manipulating mass consciousness, physical methods are not used, but the same “three-component” mechanism is used: turn off the rational (reduce critical thinking), cause fear (create a threat), hook on the “hook of a rescuer” (offer a way out).

Turn off the ratio

Usually we perceive the received information quite critically – it is common for a person to instinctively resist the new, not to take anything for granted. We scrutinize the shoes we’re about to buy, sniff the food before we put it in our mouths, be suspicious of the news: “Come on, that doesn’t happen.” But when zombified, our ratio no longer works, and we are ready to believe in anything. Criticism is “turned off” in our country, and we begin to operate with images and “facts” of artificially created and imposed on us social mythology. As Kozma Prutkov said, “many people are like sausages: what they stuff them with, they carry in themselves.”

It has been proved that it is even easier to fool us as a group than individually. Communicating, we influence each other, become infected with other people’s emotions. Panic is especially contagious.

Influencing one person requires special professionalism, and in the masses, infection occurs instantly – it is difficult to “walk right” when everyone around is “walk left.”

The crowd effect works even if each of us sits in a separate apartment, but at the same time watches the same TV show.

Cause fear

How do you turn an adult rational person into a trusting child? Threatening his basic needs. The harshest example is the brainwashing of American prisoners in Korean camps or people who have fallen into sects. Paradoxically, the same method is used in advertising. Of course, we are not deprived of food, water or sleep, but are immersed in an imaginary world of lack of the most necessary things: the more talented the advertisement, the more reliable the images of people exhausted by lack of sleep, sexual dissatisfaction, hunger, thirst, the faster we turn into a “frightened child” and obey the power of the one who will deliver us from torment.

The main thing is to make us afraid in any way. Intimidated people will do anything, even if it is not profitable for them. For example, it is enough just to say the spell “international terrorism” – and we no longer protest when we are searched at the airport, forced to take off our shoes and turn out our pockets.

Manipulation of consciousness involves playing on feelings, turning to fears and prejudices, and any of us have them. National stereotypes and myths are played out. Every nation fears or hates something. For example, for Russians behind the word “fascism” – millions of dead, hatred of enemies, something very terrible. And context doesn’t matter anymore. We are told: “Here it is, fascism!” – and immediately the door to the subconscious opens, fears come to life, our pain points become actual. This technique works flawlessly on people with a more developed right hemisphere, emotionally receptive.

They hit the target and “dead words”. In propaganda, these are “fascists”, “bombing”, “junta”. In advertising – “insomnia”, “pain”, “thirst”. The gypsy has a different set: “conspiracy to death”, “crown of celibacy”, “family curse”. It is as if we are being driven into a narrow space where there is no place for argumentation, where labels, infantile phrases are used, where reality is explained by simple formulas. “Dead Words” is not designed for critical perception. They must trigger a certain emotional reaction: anxiety, a sense of threat.

Don’t think that this is possible in one country and not in another. Of course, somewhere people are generally “more mature”, more rational, they are better aware of their rights and obligations, and somewhere they are more infantile, suggestible, living with myths, emotions, with a “childish” consciousness. Our people are more of a “childish” type. Over the years, we and our parents have developed the habit of “walking in formation” and absolutely trusting the media: if they wrote in the newspaper or said on TV, then it is so. In addition, we are a repeatedly “wounded” nation, we have many real fears that have settled in the subconscious: famine, repressions, revolutions, wars. We had to experience a lot of things from which it is difficult to escape, but which are very easy to influence.

Introduce the rescue hook

We have been frightened, deprived of self-control and the ability to think critically. And now, when we already feel like a victim and are looking for salvation, a “rescuer” appears to us – and we are ready to fulfill any of his orders.

This technique is well developed among the Gypsies. More than once people came to me for psychotherapeutic receptions, from whom the gypsies pulled out all the money. “How so? They didn’t threaten me with a knife or a pistol, ”they were surprised in hindsight. And the focus is simple. First, the gypsy wins over the victim. Then he suddenly “notices” damage, the crown of celibacy, the evil eye and a terrible disease. Anyone will be frightened, and in a state of passion, we are easily suggestible. At this moment, the gypsy turns into a “rescuer”: “It’s easy to help your grief. This is the evil eye of the envious. Gild the pen…” And the victims give them everything voluntarily.

When faced with difficulties, we look for simple answers and seek to remedy the situation with simple actions, including those that are completely unreasonable. In advertising, “salvation” is also always offered through pseudo-logic, building a false causal relationship between phenomena: drink this coffee – you will become rich, chew this gum – girls will like it, wash it with this powder – and the husband will never leave for another.

Propaganda “works” the same way. They frighten us with what we are truly afraid of: wars, fascism, the junta, the dead, the wounded.

And against the backdrop of all this nightmare, they show – this is the way of salvation: for example, to create a strong state that will protect, which the rest are afraid of.

Brainwashing techniques

Distraction

How does a gypsy distract attention? First, a meaningless phrase: “Don’t tell me how to get through …” Then a sharp change in topic, intonation: “Oh, girl, I can see by your face that you will have two coffins in your family!”, “Oh, sufferer, your husband cheats, and you know the lovebird. Changing the topic throws the victim into confusion, the ability to think is turned off, the subconscious reacts to “dead words”.

For propaganda, as for any other kind of manipulation, it is important to suppress the psychological resistance to suggestion. If, at the time of transmission of the message, the attention of the addressee is diverted from its content, then it is difficult to comprehend it and find counterarguments. And counterarguments are the basis of resistance to suggestion.

In what ways are our attention diverted? Information kaleidoscope. TV shows are usually built like this: short stories replace one another, interspersed with announcements, advertisements, frames flash, a line with additional news runs at the bottom. At the same time, important information is diluted with rumors from the life of celebrities, from the world of fashion, etc. In ten minutes of viewing, so many images flash before our eyes that it is impossible to concentrate on anything. This kaleidoscope of disparate information, which we are not able to comprehend and process, is perceived as a whole. Our attention is scattered, criticality is reduced – and we are open to any “garbage”.

Topic fragmentation. If information needs to be introduced into consciousness without causing resistance, it is split into parts – then it becomes more difficult to comprehend the whole. It seems that everyone reported – one earlier, the other later, but in such a way that it is difficult to concentrate and understand what really happened.

Sensational and urgent. When we are bombarded with “urgent”, “sensational” news, informational noise, passions and nervousness reduce our criticality, and we become more suggestible. Our brain works at high speed, it increasingly turns on the “autopilot”, and we begin to think in stereotypes, ready-made formulas. In addition, we are forced to rely on the information offered, there is simply no time to check it – and it is easier for the manipulator to convert us to the “correct” faith.

Focus on the secondary. It is also very easy to distract us from the disturbing social problems. The announcer will talk about the new law, which will lead to a serious decrease in the standard of living, as something of no particular importance. But arguments about a ban on the import of lacy underwear or a story about a giraffe that was fed to lions in a Danish zoo will be washed out by all media.

To divert our attention from reality, from what is really important to us, we need to offer something in return. The media can dictate what we think about by imposing their agenda for discussion. They throw the ball to us, and we recklessly try to grab it and “play”, forgetting about pressing problems.

Illusion of authenticity

The strongest emotional response creates a feeling of authenticity of events.

Presence effect. The film “Apocalypse Now” shows how news stories are filmed. “Run without looking back, as if you were at war!” the director demands. And people run, bend down, noise, explosions, everything is as it really is. Of course, there is honest journalism, and reporters often risk their lives, but such tricks are not uncommon, especially when it comes to propaganda.

Eyewitnesses. “Eyewitnesses” in the news are not much different from “eyewitnesses” in advertising. Here is a young woman, stammering, with ostentatious uncertainty, tells how her son, playing football, soiled his T-shirt, and she washed it. In the news, supposedly random people are interviewed, and from their words a semantic and emotional series is formed, which must be introduced into our consciousness. The strongest impression is made by crying old people, children, young invalids.

October 19In the 1990s, the world media spread the news: according to a 15-year-old Kuwaiti girl, Iraqi soldiers pulled babies out of the maternity hospital and threw them on the cold floor to die – the girl saw it with her own eyes. The girl’s name was withheld for security reasons. During the 40 days before the invasion of Iraq, President Bush repeatedly recalled this story, and the US Senate, when discussing future military action, also referred to this fact.

Later it turned out that the girl was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States, and the rest of the “witnesses” were prepared by the Hill & Knowlton PR agency. But when the troops were already brought in, no one cared about the truth.

A similar story on Russian television with a “witness” story about how a boy was crucified, and his mother was tied to a tank and dragged until she died, was made according to the same scheme: there is no documentary filming, the illusion of reliability is based on the words of “eyewitnesses “.

Anonymous authority. His name is not given, the documents quoted are not shown – it is assumed that references to authority add credibility. “Scientists, on the basis of many years of research, have established …” – which scientists? “Doctors recommend toothpaste …” – what kind of doctor? “A source from the president’s inner circle, who wished to remain anonymous, reports…”, etc. Such information is most often pure propaganda or hidden advertising, but the source is unknown and the journalists are not responsible for the lies.

Halo effect. Popular people – actors, athletes, musicians – often become “agents of influence”: they convince fans of what they themselves do not really understand. They are skillfully used by politicians and advertisers, because it is known that if a person is an authority for us in one thing, then we are ready to believe him in another.

Substitution

One of the most important methods of brainwashing is the substitution of one fact or phenomenon for another, often with a completely opposite sign.

Create associations. The essence of the reception is to bind a certain object to what the mass consciousness perceives as unequivocally bad or good. One side says: fascists. Other: terrorists. Such metaphors enable associative thinking and save our intellectual efforts. We are being driven into yet another propaganda trap. And so, instead of comprehending the essence of the problem, we cling to these associations, false analogies and metaphors. This is how our brain is arranged: at every opportunity it tries not to do unnecessary work.

In fact, associations and metaphors rarely clarify the essence of the matter. For example, we are told: “Putin is like Peter the Great.” We are hinted that we know what the times of Peter and the results of his activities really were. “Ah, well, I understand,” we agree, although in fact we don’t understand anything.

When information is associated with known facts, phenomena, people whom we perceive positively, a positive emotional transfer occurs.

Messages are often reinforced with video. For example, we are told about something, and on the screen – Hitler, the Nazis, the swastika, everything that causes fear and disgust in us. The information itself has nothing to do with German Nazism, but in our minds one has already grappled with the other.

A conditioned reflex connection is also used. For example, one event (a person, a product) is presented as good, the other as bad. When they talk about good things, the background is an optimistic, pleasant melody that we all love. If they show “bad”, disturbing music sounds and sad faces flash. Everything: the conditioned reflex circuit is closed.

Sign change. The main purpose of the reception is to call black white and white black, change “plus” to “minus” or vice versa. You can “recolor” any events, call pogroms protest demonstrations, bandits – freedom fighters, mercenaries – volunteers.

Outright fraud. In order to create the right mood in society, the desired is presented as reality. For example, the news reports that “in the opposition camp, confusion and vacillation”, “demand for prestigious offices in the center exceeds supply.” And since the majority thinks in stereotypes – “since everyone is talking about it, then it is the way it is.” In fact, the “facts” are taken from the ceiling.

In elections, we are often guided by sociological ratings: we want to vote for the strong, not for the weak. If the average citizen, who strives to be “like everyone else”, creates the feeling that he is in the minority, he will vote for the one with whom the majority is.

Figures, graphs generally make us believe what we are told: wrinkles disappear by 90%, complexion improves by 30%, the number of people supporting such and such a politician has doubled.

Strengthening

Typical signs of a person’s behavior in a crowd are the predominance of situational feelings, loss of responsibility and the ability to think independently, increased suggestibility, easy controllability, etc. All this can be enhanced in many ways: lighting, music, posters. At show programs, mass political events, election concerts, where pop stars shout something like “Vote or lose!”, we become infected with a certain mood – and it is already possible to introduce the necessary information into us.

Repetition

If we repeat the same thought in simple phrases, we get used to it and begin to consider it our own. What we remember always seems convincing to us, even if the memorization occurred during the mechanical repetition of a commercial or an annoying song. Before the April 1993 referendum, all you could hear on radio and TV was: “Yes, yes, no, yes.” Came to vote. How to answer? Yes, yes, no, yes. Everything, no questions. And today, many will remember this “slogan”, but few will say for what or against what these “Yes, yes, no, yes” were.

Why do such “miracles” happen? Repetition effectively affects the poorly controlled subconscious and leads to the unconscious assimilation of other people’s formulations, thoughts, ideas and views.

Goebbels, the famous brainwashing virtuoso, said: “The masses name the true information that is most familiar. Ordinary people are usually much more primitive than we imagine … The most outstanding results … will be achieved by those who are able to reduce problems to the simplest words and expressions and who have the courage to constantly repeat them in this simplified form, despite the objections of highbrow intellectuals.

In the 1980s, political psychologists Donald Kinder and Shanto Iyengar conducted an experiment. They edited the evening news in such a way as to focus the attention of viewers on a single problem, and the rest went in the background: for example, the first group of subjects was told about the weakness of American defense day after day, the second was frightened by bad ecology, the third – by growing inflation. As a result, a week later, most of the participants in the experiment were convinced that the problem that was emphasized in “their” news should be addressed by the country in the first place, and they evaluated the current US president by how he copes with it.

It turns out that the manipulator does not have to fight with the enemy’s ideas, it is enough to tirelessly repeat the necessary formulations.

What to do?

First, let’s understand what happens to us when we fall under the scope of skilled manipulators. We become uncritical, we think in imposed stereotypes, we are content with simple answers to complex life questions, we believe only in our own truth, we are intolerant of other people’s opinions. There is social polarization in society, even the most sensible, reasonable and objective people begin to think bipolar.

We no longer have time to think, we must quickly decide, urgently take a position.

Each side hears only itself and resents what the opponent says. We seem to close ourselves in an information cocoon and happily catch only “our” information. We stop thinking for ourselves: we start speaking in clichés, repeating remarks from newspapers, television and radio programs. Stamping simple views, simple oppositions destroys the complex reality of life and, in general, the meaning. The result is a split into two warring camps. Meanwhile, the polar truths feed each other, forming a single whole, a kind of symbiosis, because they cannot exist without each other. Bipolar simplification leads to aggression.

In order not to be manipulated, the main thing is to become an adult. What does it mean? To regain the ability to analyze information, to maintain an unclouded consciousness with a high level of criticality, to abandon simple recipes, because there are many other shades besides black and white. The more difficult a person perceives reality, the less aggression in him.

And, of course, do not be offended by the government, propaganda or advertising. All over the world, rulers and intellectuals are two poles. Power, the state strives for uniformity, the task of the state is to simplify everything, because it is difficult, as Mitterrand said, to manage a nation that knows 300 varieties of cheese. And the intellectual reproduces complexity, his task is not to be afraid of diversity, otherness, to be able to be in the minority and live in conditions of uncertainty, when it is not clear who is “good” and who is “bad”.