Hypnotic suggestion can override brain

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.

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