Eighty percent of adults in the US and the UK are moderate users of the caffeine.
Of all the effects it has on our minds—enhanced attention and vigilance—perhaps the least known is its tendency to make us more susceptible to persuasion.
Before the attempt to change their minds, half the participants were given moderate doses of caffeine, while the other half took a placebo. Both groups were double-blinded so that neither the researchers nor the participants knew who had taken what. Then the participants were given six stories to read which argued against euthanasia.
When asked afterwards for their attitude to voluntary euthanasia, those who had drunk caffeine were more influenced by the persuasive message than those who’d had the placebo.
But why? What is it about caffeine that opens us up to persuasion?
The reason that a lot of persuasive messages pass us by is simply that we’re often not paying much attention to them; our minds easily wander and we prefer not to think too hard unless it’s unavoidable.
80%的美國(guó)人和英國(guó)人都在一定程度上是咖啡因的使用者。
咖啡因的作用中,我們熟知的是它能讓我們集中精神、提高警覺(jué)——但是很少人知道咖啡因能讓我們更容易被人家說(shuō)服。
在實(shí)驗(yàn)開始前,參加實(shí)驗(yàn)的人員被分成兩組,讓其中一組人食用中度劑量的咖啡因,而另外一組則是安慰劑。這次試驗(yàn)是雙盲實(shí)驗(yàn), 也就是說(shuō)不論是研究者還是參與者都不知道參與者到底服用的是哪種物質(zhì)。然后給實(shí)驗(yàn)參與者讀6個(gè)關(guān)于反對(duì)安樂(lè)死的故事。
讀完之后,向參與者詢問(wèn)他們對(duì)自愿安樂(lè)死的態(tài)度,結(jié)果顯示那些喝了咖啡因的人比喝安慰劑的人耳根子更軟。
但是這是為什么呢?咖啡因是怎樣讓我們更容易被勸服的呢?
原因很簡(jiǎn)單,就是我們喝過(guò)咖啡之后,我們不會(huì)花太多心思去注意這么多勸說(shuō)性的信息,很輕易地就會(huì)接受它們;我們的思想很輕易就陷入一種迷茫狀態(tài),能不思考就不思考。