This is a
zany form of
classical conditioning that usually occurs when you experience two
memorable but
totally unrelated things at the same time. If this happens enough, then
subconsciously what happens is that experiencing
one will cause some sort of
reaction which is actually
related to the
other.
I've had
three experiences of
self imposed classical conditioning:
The first time was when I was 5 and I used to love banana flavored sweets. Anyway for Christmas I got an entire bucket of banana lollies, which I consumed while we were travelling about 500k's up the coast. Being a real stickler for motion sickness and none too smart, I would eat lolly upon lolly in the car while feeling highly nauseous. After some 6 hours of this I promptly vomited out the window. To this day the smell or even the thought of eating my treasured banana lollies - a half bucket left - made me nauseous.
A few years back I also got obsessed with Diablo. It was also the time I spilt one of those perfumed air fresheners in my room, making it reek of toilet deodorant. Given the fact that I was up all night playing computer games and sniffing the goodness for several weeks, now whenever I smell strong perfume or scented air I think... DIABLO.
The afternoon of my first university all nighter I bought half a kilogram of beef jerky. Very tasty. I gnawed it all night while studying, and now beef jerky reminds me of work. I hate work. Avoid at all costs.