Florida Effect

In a famous experiment, students unscrambled sentences containing words like "wrinkle," "grey," and "Florida" — words associated with the elderly. Then they walked to the elevator. They walked measurably slower than students who had seen neutral words. No one mentioned age. No one noticed anything.

This is priming: words and images quietly activate whole patterns of behaviour. The mind hears "old" and the body, without consulting you, tries the word on.

Now look at your surroundings as a priming engine. The headlines you read at breakfast, the company you keep, the slogans on the wall — each is unscrambling sentences inside you, and your feet adjust accordingly.

You cannot avoid priming; you are made of it. But you can choose the primer. The book on the table, the words in your feeds, the people at your table — they are all reaching for your behaviour. Reach back. Curate what curates you.