So you’ve decided who to vote for at the next election. You’ve surveyed the manifesto, weighed up the issues, and made a balanced choice about who would do best by the country.

Or have you?

A recent study showed that Italian voters who rated themselves as most similar to Berlusconi were more likely to vote for him.

The same was shown by a US study where 6,094 voters rated themselves as more like John Kerry or George W Bush. (Bush voters rated him and themselves as lower on openness then Kerry voters(!) )

It hasn’t been established what came first - the liking or the voting, but we can clearly see that the same dynamics as any personal relationship are in operation here. Namely, that of rapport.

As all good therapists know, rapport between people occurs when we perceive (mostly unconsciously) that the other is like us. And this similarity can be at as simple a level as gestures, posture, rate of speech - we don’t have to get into views, opinions or attitudes to decide whether we like someone.

When we deliver our hypnotherapy training course, we teach our students how to build rapport quickly with their client, because rapport is essential for a successful therapeutic encounter.

Do you mind that your politicians are being taught similar techniques?