Hypnotic suggestion can override brain

A U.S. study that used hypnotic suggestion found the brain can override responses experts have long assumed to be ingrained and automatic, such as reading.

The study provides compelling evidence that humans can "unlearn" an automatic process and points to hypnotic suggestion as a powerful new tool for brain research generally.

The study by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers focused on the Stroop Test -- a hallmark of attentional research that asks people to name the ink color a word is printed in.

However, the test has a trick, the word "red" might be printed in green ink, which sets up a cognitive conflict within the brain, which is inclined to answer what it reads -- "Red", even though it knows the correct answer is "green."

The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International