Sound engineers have a 'does f*** all' button

FYI: Most thermostats in offices have this setting as well

There's a lot in life this kinda of thinking can solve.

In the Software Development Industry we have the same thing that we use when Development Managers ask for dumb features, "Oh, we need more mauve in the database."🤓

i know this all too well... lol

Here the ingenious Michael Crichton on "pointing the bone"/"hex death", a phenomenon that is basically based on the same response to a "social performance". Full talk:

Professional session musicians sometimes have a knob on their guitar for the same purpose

I once read that chauffeurs, when asked to step on it and get their passenger there quicker, will just throw the car around a bit more than normal but go the same speed as usual to not get in trouble speeding etc. Seems like the same idea. Placebo is powerful.