So, how do you know if you’re being manipulated?

Ironically, this is the easiest question in the world to answer, though many people think it’s one of the hardest.

The answer is simple: you are being manipulated all the time.

I mean, there are no exceptions. There is no such thing as a social interaction where people are not constantly manipulating each other.

Now, that’s not to say everyone is intentionally trying to manipulate each other in a conscious way, but it’s impossible to avoid being affected by your interactions with others.

I don’t care how strong, confident, or solid you are. As soon as you observe someone, hear them speak, or become aware of their presence in any way, your brain starts going to work.

It begins firing off neural pathways, creating new ones, categorizing, digging up beliefs, labelling, making attachments, forming memories, triggering emotional reactions, anticipating behaviour, and making judgments.

Your brain starts adjusting its path to accommodate the new information.

All of this happens in nanoseconds. Before you even have conscious awareness of it, your brain is already starting to change.

So, manipulation begins as soon as your brain is stimulated by data. By the time you realize it’s happening, it’s almost complete.

To dive deeper into this topic, check out the original video here: