Can animals be hypnotised?
You may have seen videos online in which a seemingly alert chicken is held on the ground and a line is drawn moving away from its beak. When directed to look at the line the chicken suddenly stops in its tracks. Appearing to be fixated and motionless as if under a hypnotic trance, is the chicken truly hypnotised? The chicken isn’t actually hypnotised, but is displaying what scientists call tonic immobility, a fear-potentiated response. It’s thought that the chicken believes its life is in danger due to the unfamiliar stress of being restrained and held to the ground. Focusing the chicken’s attention in this way while pinning it down sends the chicken into a catatonic state, making it appear paralysed. Animals such as ducks, sharks, snakes and rabbits all display this behaviour to avoid predators, almost like playing dead.