The Chameleon Effect
Brain science isn’t quite sure why, but our subconscious brain is continually trying to match the rhythm of those around us. Bottlenose dolphins arc through the water in unison.
Virtuous Vice
Luckily, morality is always graded on a sliding scale. Marketers understand this and that’s why so many of them tempt us with the VIRTUOUS VICE, a single feature that’s a cognitive get-out-of-jail-free card.
Proprioception
Most people don’t realize it, but a big chunk of our brain is dedicated to simply tracking where our body is in space. PROPRIOCEPTION is the reason we can close our eyes and touch our nose, balance on one leg, and throw a baseball without looking at our arm.
Projection Bias
If you look at the thousands of comments this amazing social video generated, you’ll notice something peculiar. After watching this thrilling clip, you would think viewers would share their OWN FEELINGS about how this video inspired them.
What is the Anchoring Effect?
How does our brain determine a fair price? In this short video you’ll learn how our misguided brain can be easily fooled when we’re comparing prices. See how the “anchoring effect” lures us into paying too much.
Peak End Rule
Big corporations like Walmart don’t put greeters at the door just to be nice. People like Mr. Willie can powerfully influence a company’s profits because of a cognitive bias called the “Peak-End Rule.”
Investing Decisions – How to Figure Out the Exact Amount of Money You’ll Need to Retire Comfortably
It’s one of the scariest numbers in our financial lives – the precise amount of money we will need to retire comfortably. Most of us have no idea what this number is, or how to calculate it.
So we save as much as we can and just HOPE it will be enough. But no matter how much we tuck away, there’s always this nagging worry that we’ll come up short in our later years. We wonder if old age won’t just be about health challenges, but could also be about facing poverty.
The good news is that figuring out this number really isn’t that hard. In this video I lay out the specific steps you should follow to “find your number.”
Dark UX
Classic behavioral science teaches us that if we want to illicit a behavior, the best way to do that is to make that behavior EASY. Make the checkout one click. Make the check-in process automatic.
The Chameleon Effect
Ever walk with a friend and find yourself automatically matching their stride? The Chameleon effect compels us to ape the movements and behaviors of the people around us. So when the uptight Victorians in this video break out in a grin, our subconscious mind automatically has us joining the party.
Catapult Diver
So why does our tired little brain love experiencing an intense scare?
It’s a Drug Trip
The adrenaline rush of a scare instantly releases chemicals that can trigger a feeling of euphoria. You’ll often hear people laughing after a big scare because the body releases dopamine. And after the fearful situation ends, this high stays with us until our body metabolizes these powerful brain chemicals.