The "boomerang effect" is a term from the field of social psychology that denotes a change in a person's beliefs in the opposite direction, which does not correspond to the original goal. The "boomerang effect" is sometimes used to influence the social attitudes of an audience. However, this term has another meaning.
The socio-psychological phenomenon called the "boomerang effect" provides an answer to the question of why things so often happen in life that are directly opposite to expectations. In psychology, the term "boomerang effect" has two different meanings. On the one hand, this is a phenomenon in which the informational impact on the audience not only does not bring the desired results, but also has the opposite effect. On the other hand, the "boomerang effect" is a law of life, according to which each person will ultimately receive what he deserves.
Daniel Wegner's Boomerang Effect
American psychologist Daniel Wegner, having read the book of Count L. N. Tolstoy's "Memoirs", found there a rather interesting fragment. Tolstoy described how, as a child, Nikolai's elder brother instructed him not to think about the polar bear. As a result, it was this beast that appeared in the imagination of little Leva with enviable constancy.
The incident that happened to Count Tolstoy back in 1833 interested Wegner very much. He decided to carry out the same experiment on his own students. Wegner first gathered volunteers and divided them into two groups. Students from the first group were asked to think about a polar bear. But the rest of the participants in the experiment, on the contrary, were forbidden to represent the inhabitant of the Arctic Circle. Whenever the image of a bear appeared in the imagination of the subjects, they had to press the bell button. It turned out that the ban only spurred students to think exclusively about the polar bear. The bear appeared in their minds more than once a minute. Even the participants from the first group could not boast of such a result.
Based on the experiment, Wegner concluded that trying to control his own thoughts makes them even more intrusive. The psychologist called this phenomenon the "boomerang effect."
It follows from this that persistently avoiding thoughts of smoking, alcohol and other bad habits is useless. You will only fuel your desire to taste the forbidden fruit again. Your best bet is to learn how to divert your attention to other, more important things.
The boomerang law of life
The "boomerang effect" also takes place in a person's daily life. This phenomenon can be observed all the time. The essence of the boomerang law of life is that the actions that a person has directed against anyone, sooner or later will turn against him.
That is why you should not show aggression or injustice towards other people. Even in conflict situations, remain a calm and balanced person. Then the society for the most part will take your side.
