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2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/sci/ - Science & Math

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3431268

Anonymous Fri Jul 22 03:51:45 2011 No.3431268 [Reply] [Original]

I was walkin through the mall today when this sales guy - the kind who run the little vendor shacks in the middle of the indoor courtyards - tries to get me to buy this obviously bullshit "purity bracelet" or something. I remember he said that it was made with volcanic ash and sulphur, encased in the plastic band.

It was obviously some new age bullshit but hell, I wasn't in a hurry and I was curious. Basically, to try it out, he made me stand on one foot with my arms spread out so my body was a "T", and then he pushed down one of my arms harder and harder until I lost my balance. He was a pretty big guy too, six feet and maybe 300 pounds at least. I lost my balance easily and had to put my foot down

Then he had me hold the bracelet in one hand and repeated the one foot balancing test. Holy fuck guys he was pushing down on my arm hard enough that I think he might have bruised it and I DIDNT TOPPLE OVER. (>mfw) He was easily using triple the original pressure and I held my balance perfectly, far past the point where I had lost it without the bracelet.

Now, he explained that our body naturally uses ions and these ions strip electrons off other normal atoms. Holding the bracelet restores electrons to the depleted atoms, allowing the body to operate at peak efficiency.

>>

Anonymous Fri Jul 22 03:52:45 2011 No.3431272
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Now, I call bullshit on that psuedoscience, but I cant argue with the evidence. I was definitely much more balanced with the bracelet in my hand, and I can't fuckin figure out why. I refuse to believe the bracelet actually works as intended, and my first thought was that I pulled some psychosomatic shit via the placebo effect. But he was using a LOT of pressure, I should have been faceplanting the floor.

I just cant figure this out. I cant remember the brand name either.

Recap:
- Plastic bracelet (like those breast cancer awareness ones) with sulphur and "volcanic ash" in it
- I stand on one foot with my arms out ( T ), he pushes down on one arm to unbalance me
- I can resist MUCH higher pressure with the bracelet in hand, compared to no bracelet at all
- HOW WORK?!

>>	Anonymous Fri Jul 22 03:59:45 2011 No.3431318 It's the placebo effect, OP, which is no different than the Feng Shui and Falun Dafa shit that gullible Westerners are caught up with.

>>	Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:02:45 2011 No.3431334 File: 22 KB, 250x288, Hawking.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] ChEck OuT TheSe DUbS I'D pOint iF I CouLD

>>	Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:03:45 2011 No.3431336 >>3431334 Oh ShIT, wRonG ThReaD DiSRegArd ThAt, I sUck CocKs

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Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:04:45 2011 No.3431342

>>3431318

If it is the placebo effect, how does it work physically? Medical placebos, like painkiller vs. sugar pill, work because the brain believes the pain is nullified, and so it ignores the "abberant" pain impulses.

But physical balance would mean the brain is fine-tuning my leg and abdominal muscles to be much stronger than they should be. How is that possible?

tl;dr Mental placebos make sense, but physical ones less so. theories?

>>	Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:05:45 2011 No.3431344 Maybe the first time he suddenly pushed down and the second time he eased into it a bit so you had time to stiffen your body?

>>	Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:06:45 2011 No.3431345 Did he press down on the SAME part of your arm? I've seen a trick like that, the closer to the shoulder the more effort it would take to unbalance you.

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Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:07:45 2011 No.3431348

I know from personal martial arts experience that even a slight shift in posture or stance is more than enough to stop a much larger person from toppling you over. When he handed you the bracelet did you happen to adjust your body in any way/ engage your lat muscles or compensate to the opposite side he was pushing from?

>>	Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:10:45 2011 No.3431360 I think this calls for a randomized double blind placebo controlled cross over design experiment. Now all we need is one of those bracelets, and one that looks exactly like it but is not made of volcanic ash and sulfur.

>>	Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:10:45 2011 No.3431361 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9c3wg34R3o I can't believe I actually have to post shit like that.

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Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:12:45 2011 No.3431368

AFAIK I didnt shift at all really. I took a step to grab the bracelet and then stepped back. Feet were same distance apart.

I remember he pushed down on my upper arm when I was holding the bracelet. I cant remember where he did it without the bracelet. This makes the most sense so far though.

I also wasnt making any conscious effort to prepare myself for the pressure. And I couldn't compensate, he was pretty strong. Not to mention he was definitely over 300 pounds, and had a 10 inches on me.

>>	Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:15:45 2011 No.3431383 >>3431268 Should of used the bracelet the first time.

>>	Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:16:45 2011 No.3431386 >>3431368 >I also wasnt making any conscious effort to prepare myself for the pressure That's something right there. The second time you knew it was coming. Unconsciously you always change your posture.

>>	Anonymous Fri Jul 22 04:16:45 2011 No.3431389 http://gizmodo.com/5723577/powerbalance-admits-their-wristbands-are-a-scam