How Do You Experience The Pinocchio Effect?
• Arrange two chairs, one right behind the other. The chairs should both be facing the same direction. • Sit in the rear chair and have a friend sit in the chair in front of you. • Blindfold yourself or keep your eyes shut throughout the exercise. • Have your friend guide one of your hands to his or her nose. It will probably be easier to use your dominant hand for this part. • Bring your other hand up to your own nose. • Tap and stroke your friend’s nose. Hopefully you’re good friends, as this can seem a bit weird. Randomly alternate between tapping your friend’s nose and lightly stroking it, as though you’re trying to communicate with Morse Code. The more random your movements, the more likely you’ll feel the Pinocchio effect. Be gentle. • Tap and stroke your own nose with identical movements. As you’re tapping and stroking your friend’s nose, use your other hand to reproduce the taps and strokes on your own nose. Try to synchronize the movements of your hands as closely as possible.
