Blindsight : The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains

Today's brands know more about how your brain works than you do. Isn't it time to level the playing field? We think of ourselves as independent actors making objective decisions. But many external factors—from the colors we see, to the music we hear, to the stories we're told—impact our "objective" perception and buying behavior down to the most fundamental, biological levels. That's why brands exists—and they derive their power from neuroscience. With eye-opening science and fascinating real-world examples, neuroscientist Matt Johnson and marketer Prince Ghuman reveal what companies don't: how brands hack your psychology to drive your behavior. Their goal: to close the knowledge gap between consumer and brand, to let you consume on your own terms. Inside, discover: Why watch ads always show the time 10:10 How a simple equation (pleasure - pain = purchase) explains our buying behavior How the... What Motives Underlie The Ways Humans Interact Socially? Are These The Same For All Societies? Are These Part Of Our Nature, Or Influenced By Our Environments? Over The Last Decade, Research In Experimental Economics Has Emphatically Falsified The Textbook Representation Of Homo Economicus. Literally Hundreds Of Experiments Suggest That People Care Not Only About Their Own Material Payoffs, But Also About Such Things As Fairness, Equity And Reciprocity. However, This Research Left Fundamental Questions Unanswered: Are Such Social Preferences Stable Components Of Human Nature; Or, Are They Modulated By Economic, Social And Cultural Environments? Until Now, Experimental Research Could Not Address This Question Because Virtually All Subjects Had Been University Students, And While There Are Cultural Differences Among Student Populations Throughout The World, These Differences Are Small Compared To The Full Range Of Human Social And Cultural Environments.^ A Vast Amount Of Ethnographic And Historical Research Suggests That People's Motives Are Influenced By Economic, Social, And Cultural Environments, Yet Such Methods Can Only Yield Circumstantial Evidence About Human Motives. Combining Ethnographic And Experimental Approaches To Fill This Gap, This Book Breaks New Ground In Reporting The Results Of A Large Cross-cultural Study Aimed At Determining The Sources Of Social (non-selfish) Preferences That Underlie The Diversity Of Human Sociality. The Same Experiments Which Provided Evidence For Social Preferences Among University Students Were Performed In Fifteen Small-scale Societies Exhibiting A Wide Variety Of Social, Economic And Cultural Conditions By Experienced Field Researchers Who Had Also Done Long-term Ethnographic Field Work In These Societies. The Findings Of These Experiments Demonstrated That No Society In Which Experimental Behaviour Is Consistent With The Canonical Model Of Self-interest.^ Indeed, Results Showed That The Variation In Behaviour Is Far Greater Than Previously Thought, And That The Differences Between Societies In Market Integration And The Importance Of Cooperation Explain A Substantial Portion Of This Variation, Which Individual-level Economic And Demographic Variables Could Not. Finally, The Extent To Which Experimental Play Mirrors Patterns Of Interaction Found In Everyday Life Is Traced. The Book Starts With A Succinct But Substantive Introduction To The Use Of Game Theory As An Analytical Tool And Its Use In The Social Sciences For The Rigorous Testing Of Hypotheses About Fundamental Aspects Of Social Behaviour Outside Artificially Constructed Laboratories. The Results Of The Fifteen Case Studies Are Summarized In A Suggestive Chapter About The Scope Of The Project.-- Measuring Social Norms And Preferences Using Experimental Games : A Guide For Social Scientists / Colin F. Camerer And Ernst Fehr -- Coalitional Effects On Reciprocal Fairness In The Ultimatum Game : A Case From The Ecuadorian Amazon / John Q. Patton -- Comparative Experimental Evidence From Machiguenga, Mapuche, Huinca, And American Populations / Joseph Henrich And Natalie Smith -- Dictators And Ultimatums In A Egalitarian Society Of Hunter-gatherers : The Hadza Of Tanzania / Frank Marlowe -- Does Market Exposure Affect Economic Game Behavior? : The Ultimatum Game And The Public Goods Game Among The Tsimane' Of Bolivia / Michael Gurven -- Market Integration, Reciprocity, And Fairness In Rural Papua New Guinea : Results From A Two-village Ultimatum Game Experiment / David P. Tracer -- Ultimatum Game With An Ethnicity Manipulation : Results From Khovidiin Bulgan Sum, Mongolia / Francisco J. Gil-white -- Kinship, Familiarity, And Trust : An Experimental Investigation / Abigail Barr -- Community Structure, Mobility, And The Strength Of Norms In An African Society : The Sangu Of Tanzania / Richard Mcelreath -- Market Integration And Fairness : Evidence From Ultimatum, Dictator, And Public Goods Experiments In East Africa / Jean Ensminger -- Economic Experiments To Examine Fairness And Cooperation Among The Ache Indians Of Paraguay / Kim Hill And Michael Gurven -- The Ultimatum Game, Fairness, And Cooperation Among Big Game Hunters / Michael S. Alvard. Edited By Joseph Henrich ... [et Al.]. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. What motives underlie the ways in which humans interact socially? Are these the same for all societies? Are these part of our nature, or influenced by our environments? Over the last decade, research in experimental economics has emphatically falsified the textbook representation of Homo economicus. Hundreds of experiments suggest that people care not only about their own material payoffs, but also about such things as fairness, equity, and reciprocity. However, this research left a fundamental question unanswered: Are such social preferences stable components of human nature, or are they modulated by economic, social, and cultural environments? Until now, experimental research could not address this question because virtually all subjects had been university students. Combining ethnographic and experimental approaches to fill this gap, this book breaks new ground in reporting the results of a large cross-cultural study aimed at determining the sources of social (non-selfish) preferences that underlie the diversity of human sociality. In this study, the same experiments carried out with university students were performed in fifteen small-scale societies exhibiting a wide variety of social, economic, and cultural conditions.The results show that the variation in behaviour is far greater than previously thought, and that the differences between societies in market integration and the importance of cooperation explain a substantial portion of this variation, which individual-level economic and demographic variables could not. The results also trace the extent to which experimental play mirrors patterns of interaction found in everyday life. The book includes a succinct but substantive introduction to the use of game theory as an analytical tool, and to its use in the social sciences for the rigorous testing of hypotheses about fundamental aspects of social behaviour outside artificially constructed laboratories. The editors also summarize the results of the fifteen case studies in a suggestive chapter about the scope of the project. Ever notice that all watch ads show 10:10 as the time? Or that all fast-food restaurants use red or yellow in their logos? Or that certain stores are always having a sale? You may not be aware of these details, yet they've been influencing you all along. Every time you purchase, swipe, or click, marketers are able to more accurately predict your behavior. These days, brands know more about you than you know about yourself. Blindsight is here to change that. With eye-opening science, engaging stories, and fascinating real-world examples, neuroscientist Matt Johnson and marketer Prince Ghuman dive deep into the surprising relationship between brains and brands. In Blindsight , they showcase how marketing taps every aspect of our mental lives, covering the neuroscience of pain and pleasure, emotion and logic, fear and safety, attention and addiction, and much more. We like to think of ourselves as independent actors in control of our decisions, but the truth is far more complicated. Blindsight will give you the ability to see the unseeable when it comes to marketing, so that you can consume on your own terms. On the surface, you will learn how the brain works and how brands design for it. But peel back a layer, and you'll find a sharper image of your psychology, reflected in your consumer behavior. This book will change the way you view not just branding, but yourself, too. "With eye-opening science and fascinating real-world examples, neuroscientist Matt Johnson and marketer Prince Ghuman reveal what companies don't: how brands hack your psychology to drive your behavior. Their goal: to close the knowledge gap between consumer and brand, to let you consume on your own terms. Inside, discover: Why watch ads always show the time 10:10 How a simple equation (pleasure - pain = purchase) explains our buying behavior How the colors blue and orange influence our diet and exercise habits What Apple's iPhone marketing strategy has in common with dubstep Why subliminal marketing is not nearly as effective as midliminal marketing Blindsight exposes the ways brands architect our behavior as consumers, from which president we choose to how our wine tastes, by affecting our perceptions. It'll change the way you view not just branding, but yourself, too"-- Provided by publisher