~snip~
not sure if there's consensus regarding this topics but it's a really interesting one, I'd say it's the most interesting topic I've ever talked about here on the gambling boards of bitcointalk.
I think it's a two way road too with our attention influencing our thoughts but random things happening as well and we "deciding" to stick with them or let them go.
attention is powerful, for sure.
Attention has been studied a lot, for example we know that we don't have too much "energy" to make decisions every day, there is a decision fatigue, so it is important to control your environment.
Of course advertisers know this and tries to control your environment as well. Supermarket product placement for example is key.
It is really an interesting topic, and this just barely scratches the surface. At the end of the day, you will become what you pay attention to.