Have you ever wished you were a wizard? The kind that can wave his/her wand, pronounce few words and make something happen? No, this is not a trick question. Nor it is a test on your knowledge of the Harry Potter books. Although we primarily think of “magic words” as a purely fictional idea, this may not be quite true after all. In fact, the concept has been studied by psychologists and it is known as “priming.” Priming means that exposure to one stimulus (certain words, for example) can make us react in a certain way. It is no illusion.

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