6 Creepy Brainwashing Techniques You Can Use Today

The world is full of shady self-help gurus and workplace seminars telling us how we can turn our lives around just by using the right words (“Don’t say the cheese is ‘spoiled’ — say it’s ‘aged’!”), as if language is a form of magic that can alter reality. But here’s the thing: The human brain is an odd, glitchy machine that is influenced in all sorts of weird ways you never thought of. This is why politicians and salespeople can trick you into going along with them, just by toying with the words they use. Science is just now catching up to them, and has found that …