The Century of the Self

Episode 1

Happiness Machines

59 mins

The documentary begins by introducing Edward Bernays, Freud's nephew, who applied psychoanalytic concepts to the field of public relations in the 1920s. Bernays pioneered techniques to manipulate public opinion, famously convincing American women to start smoking by associating cigarettes with female empowerment. His methods laid the groundwork for modern advertising and political campaigning, demonstrating how unconscious desires could be harnessed to influence behavior on a mass scale.