Ever notice how fear is frequently used to sell a product or service?
Well, a solution needs a problem - a way to "arouse an eager want".
Truth be told, I too at times have resorted to using fear to sell my services. Several of my presentations started with a slide that highlighted the escalating rates of chronic disease (including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, depression, anxiety...) experienced by North Americans today. After all, how could we bury our heads in the sand as our health and the health of our children continued to deteriorate?
I’d list the many factors impacting our health, including environmental toxicants, poverty, over-abundance of cheap food and drink, stress, negative thinking, a disease focused medical system, germ phobia, fat phobia, inadequate sleep, sedentary behaviour…It was my sincere belief that by creating widespread awareness for the problem, I could inspire change.
As I prepared for these presentations I found myself scouring current headlines, scholarly articles and the most recent books or talks by experts that verified the "facts". It seemed that everywhere I turned I found evidence to support my claims. When challenged by others, I defended my bias with citations from peer-reviewed journals. Seek and you shall find.
Should this continue, might it have led to my own demise?
Ever hear of medical school syndrome? It is very common for medical students to present with the symptoms of the disease they are studying. Why?
That which we focus on, manifests in our reality.
At the base of our brain is the reticular activating system (RAS). Through it we filter all the “data” we are exposed to daily, including words, pictures, scents, sounds, tastes, body heat, sense of balance etc.. We may be exposed to as many as 2 million bits of data per second, but can only process several. What we focus on, is what becomes apparent.
Fortunately, a few years ago I was asked to do several talks to a very special patient support group – those afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD sufferers struggle with obsessive thoughts, or anxiety, that lead them to engage in rituals that they believe are essential to prevent harm to self or others. They may worry about contamination or causing unintentional harm. To reduce their anxiety, they resort to using a variety of safety behaviours such as checking and rechecking doors or windows, lining things up, seeking reassurance, counting repeatedly, washing hands etc.. This can be very time consuming and debilitating.
Those struggling with OCD are wonderful people who just seem to have an over-developed sense of responsibility. They are unlikely to harm anyone. Their obsessions can lead them to contribute tremendously. Famous people who have been afflicted with OCD include Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla and Albert Van Beethoven. But fear - feeling unsafe - can be detrimental to their health.
I feel blessed to have been presented with the opportunity to speak to this patient support group. A special thank you to the member who recommended me, for teaching me to get to know my audience before creating fear, in her case, about common household chemicals.
I have learned a valuable life lesson:
While fear may motivate some to take action, it can debilitate and immobilize others, including those afflicted with mental health issues.
I still believe that it is essential to create awareness for a problem for which we are proposing a solution, but using widespread fear-based marketing strategies can be harmful to the health of many.
Get to know your audience. Target your message to those who can help make a difference. And check-in every once in a while to determine if you have narrowed your focus too much and can no longer "see the forest for the trees".
Live and learn.
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