Flock of Sheep

Do you know how lab rats are trained? When they do something they are supposed to do, they are “rewarded”. i.e. given a piece of cheese, or whatever. When they do something they aren’t supposed to, they are “punished” - an electric shock, maybe.

So finally, a few kg of cheese and a lot of electric shocks later, the rats’ brains start to understand this. They only do what the scientists want them to. In other words, they are made to do what the lab scientists want by linking the action to something the rats like. This process is called conditioning.

In human society too, there is a lot of conditioning. Most people say that the whole concept of parenting is the biggest example of conditioning. But I like to stray from the beaten path, if you know what I mean. 

My favourite example of conditioning is the concept of advertising. The advertisement industry thrives solely on the process of conditioning. Let me explain it to you in a more detailed way.

It’s perhaps best explained by this one bit. Have you ever noticed how almost every advertisement is filled with scantly clad women, even though there is no need for them? Why? Cuz guys like to see scantly clad women. The next time the guy sees the product, his mind will automatically link it to the scantly clad women. This in turn will urge him to buy the product.

Conditioning.

Well, aren’t we all a huge flock of sheep!

Oh, and by the way, women, please don’t feel like you are all above this. It’s even easier for the advertisers to bait you. All they have to do is hang a big image of a mall on every street. Job’s done! And I have also heard that some women shop when they feel sad. What the hell is all that about? It’s certainly beyond my comprehension. Maybe someone else can do some research on that.