Neuroscience Research

Magic tricks have entertained people for centuries, if not millenia. They startle and surprise the audience because the trick generally accomplishes something that appears to be impossible - a ball disappears when tossed in the air, a…

We didn't need Econ 101 to learn that a dollar in the future isn't worth as much as a dollar today. Our brains knew that all along. And, as it turns out, monkey brains know it too. The Pure Pedantry blog has a lengthy post on research…

I'm guessing marketers of products for itch relief, athlete's foot, and the like already know this... but itching can be stimulated by seeing other people scratch, and even by images of itch-causing creatures like bedbugs. Last month's…

Here's a scenario... You decide to venture into a cell phone store despite your reluctance to deal with a bewildering number of phones, options, plans, along with a confusing price structure. As usual, you find you'll have to wait a bit for…

Emory University has announced the establishment of a new Center for Neuropolicy. The focus of the entity will be on the intersection of brain science, individual decision making, and politics. A new Center for Neuropolicy at Emory…

A few days ago, I wrote about the power of the word "New" to get our attention - if there's a more potent attractor out there, it's almost certainly "FREE!" For years, advertising gurus have listed "free" on every compilation of…

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely does a great job of demolishing the idea that people make decisions in a rational manner. Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke, describes dozens of experiments that show how we procrastinate, when we…

Marketers know there are potent words in advertising, like "Free" and "New." Neuroscientists have now determined that the appeal of "new" is hard-wired into our brains. Novelty activates our brain's reward center, which may have been an…

Scantily clad women have been used to sell products to men for decades, and likely for millennia in one form or another. There's little doubt that the typical male brain is wired to respond to attractive females in revealing attire. But…

I've written about sensory branding, olfactory marketing, and in particular Starbucks' attempt to get more coffee aroma into its stores. Now, it seems that all you need to get you going in the morning is a whiff of coffee aroma: Wake up…