Australian artist Justine Cooper joked that she invented a certain drug, Havidol, and the disease it supposedly cures: “dysphoric anxiety syndrome caused by a deficit in the consumption of public attention.”
Australian artist Justine Cooper joked that she invented a certain drug, Havidol, and the disease it supposedly cures: “dysphoric anxiety syndrome caused by a deficit in the consumption of public attention.” In early February of this year, she posted the materials of the advertising campaign of the new drug (and in fact a parody of the advertising of pharmaceutical companies) on the Internet. The website www.havidol.com invites visitors to take a test that helps identify signs of this “syndrome” and describes the “side effects” of the drug. Unexpectedly for the artist, more than a quarter of a million people responded to her joke. Most of them seriously want to get a miracle drug. Why did so many people succumb to the provocation?
Transactional analyst Vadim Petrovsky comments “A witty illustration of the peculiarities of our perception”
“The beautiful long name of the “disease” is designed for a hypnotic effect: every word is a provocateur, and in general, the “diagnosis” introduces the reader into a slight trance, into an altered state of consciousness. To achieve this effect, Justin Cooper required a good knowledge of the natural desires of man, an understanding of the typical problems of most of us. First of all, it is a global need to be treated – no matter what. This is the fear of loneliness (hence the “lack of public attention”). The word “dysphoric” in non-specialists is associated with the familiar word “euphoria”, with something that has to do with mood. “Syndrome” sounds almost menacing and at the same time hints: if you have it, you are a difficult, outstanding person. This is how our desire to stand out, to be different from others, works. Other cliché words (“anxiety”, “deficit”, “attention”) are both disturbing and encouraging, hinting at both the presence of a problem and the possibility of solving it. Thus, the long name of the disease hits several targets at once: our body, personality and soul. In mixing these spheres is the main trick of the phrase.
The effect of this artistic invention is reminiscent of the action of a “suggestometer” – in one of the experiments, my colleagues and I called the device supposedly increasing the accuracy of actions. We asked the participants of the experiment to hold on to a metal rod connected by a wire to the body of a certain device. The experimenter said: the stronger this is done, the more accurate the actions will be. And the accuracy really improved.
For those readers of Psychologies who are interested in the power of suggestion, I invite you to say the magic phrase. Its repeated pronunciation compensates for the feeling of loneliness that gives rise to a dysphoric anxiety syndrome. It sounds like this: “Eok noto ledzon pig.” Repeat it 20 times…and read it backwards.”