bending plants?

ive heard to bend the plants down to make them thicker. does this work? could you tie them down?

i make metal 'pins' from some bailing wire and start to pin the bitches down when node 4 begins.
i hear that bending them like this releases a hormone in the plant that causes it to treat the secondary growth as tops.
thus the yield increase.

i havent tied mine down...but the top split... growing 2 different ways... i never topped the plant.. its a freak of nature

i have 9 in a 2 by 8 ft closet but im mainly doing it to a sativa that just keeps gettin taller really quick