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An interesting article in Newsweek discusses the ways in which emotions can be used to influence people.

Psychologists have demonstrated this in the laboratory, time and time again. It's known as the Ultimatum Game, and its counterintuitive findings are part of a broad new understanding of how the human brain and mind work. As it turns out, we are not very reasonable creatures much of the time, nor are we very aware. Indeed, we are under constant sway of our emotions and intuitions, and most of the time we are not even aware of just how quirky and emotional our everyday decisions are.

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In his blog entry, Dilbert creator Scott Adams describes his experiences with Spasmodic Dysphonia, a condition that is usually irreversible. He writes:

When I say my brain remapped, that’s the best description I have. During the worst of my voice problems, I would know in advance that I couldn’t get a word out. It was if I could feel the lack of connection between my brain and my vocal cords. But suddenly, yesterday, I felt the connection again. It wasn’t just being able to speak, it was KNOWING how. The knowing returned.

It's a very interesting description of how he essentially relearned how to talk. The story parallels that of Milton Erickson overcoming polio.

Great news, and best wishes to Scott!

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