Some time ago three sommeliers were asked to participate in an
unusual experiment. They were placed in an fMRI scanner where they were
served three different wines, and then they were asked to evaluate
them. You’d imagine this to be a fairly simple task for people who
taste wine for a living. Not so.
They were all in agreement on the first bottle of cheap red – they
would not be recommending this to anyone.
Their brains were all in sync.
The scans matched their opinions – this was not a wine to be
recommended. The second bottle, a medium-priced wine, was served. Again,
the sommeliers were in agreement. They judged it to be fairly ordinary,
but definitely drinkable. And again, their scans supported their
evaluation. A similar story emerged with the very expensive third
bottle. The sommeliers thought it simply superb.
Then there was a surprise announcement. The sommeliers were told that
there was in fact no difference between the wines. The price tag was a
hoax. The only real distinction was in the way the wine was served.
The brain scans revealed an unusual activity. While the sommeliers
were busy tasting, the centre of the brain associated with taste seemed
convinced there was a distinct difference in quality. But within moments
of being told it was not so, they could no longer distinguish the
difference. They were not lying. Rather their taste preferences in the
brain had adjusted to the information and showed a clear change of mind.
As I describe in my new book Brandwashed, we’re all
controlled by perception. In fact 85 percent of everything we do in a
day occurs in our subconscious. Little things, like when we select the
second magazine from the top of the pile in the newsstand. Or the fact
that women tend to use the second or third stall in a public toilet,
even though the first stall by far is the cleanest.
It seems the more rational we think we are, the more irrational we
tend to become. Perhaps this explains why we purchase 7 percent more if
we navigate a supermarket in a counter-clockwise direction, buy 37
percent more when we wheel a larger shopping cart, or eat 29 percent
more if the rhythm of the music in a restaurant is less than 20 beats
per second. Ironically, the truth is our rational mind fully believes it
was in control from the very beginning.
So, before you select a bottle of wine, pick a magazine, visit the
supermarket, or have a meal at your local restaurant, be aware of the
fact that even though you believe you’re in control, you might very well
be perfectly positioned for a brandwashing.
Martin Lindstrom’s new book, Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy is now available. His work, Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy was a New York Times Bestseller.
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