🧠 The Psychology of Rhythm, Food and Lying
Welcome to our latest newsletter.
In this email, we look at the science of our brains and musical rhythm.
How to make healthy food more appealing.
At scientific ways to address procrastination.
And how to spot a liar (and get them to tell the truth).
Don't forget we're here to help:
Don't forget we're here to help:
🧠 Improve your marketing with psychology and data
❤️ Make your communications more persuasive.
👉 Shift your audiences' behaviour
Tell us what you're trying to do and we'll show you how we can help.
Every so often we use our Monkey Business newsletter to share useful nuggets, opinions, and findings as food for thought. Sign up here.
Rhythm Makes the World Go Round: Music unites cultures, but with a twist
This study investigates the science of rhythm across cultures. People everywhere tap to the beat, but the tune is influenced by background music. Listeners from 15 countries participated in a rhythm-tapping experiment. The study found a universal bias for simple rhythms (think 1-2-3-4) but also cultural variations. Westerners favored rhythms common in their music, while those from Tsimane' society in Bolivia gravitated towards rhythms specific to their traditions.
This suggests our brains subconsciously refine the music we hear, making it easier to remember and reproduce. The findings offer a window into how cultures shape our perception of the world, as well as how to resonate better with different audiences
Photo by Luan Rezende
Procrastination: A Battle Between Your Head and Your Heart (or More Precisely, Your Amygdala and Prefrontal Cortex)
Ever wonder why you put off that report until the very last minute? It's all in your head, or more specifically, the way your brain weighs emotions. This study explores the concept of "valence weighting bias," a fancy term for our tendency to overweight negative emotions when making decisions. The study finds a strong correlation between people who weigh negative emotions more heavily and those who are chronic procrastinators. In other words, that looming tax deadline feels much more daunting than the satisfaction of a completed return. But wait, there's a twist! Negative bias can also be our friend, motivating us to cram for a big exam.
So, how can this be applied in the commercial world? By understanding the emotional biases of your audiences, you can design interventions to nudge them towards completing tasks. For example, framing an action in a positive light, highlighting the potential for growth and reward, can counteract the negativity bias and boost motivation.
Photo by Milada Vigerova
Don't Be So Bland! Why Language Could Be the Secret Weapon for Food Marketing
A new study sheds light on how emotions can influence our food choices. Researchers found that people tend to use stronger emotional language when describing unhealthy foods compared to healthy options. For example, the study found that people use words like "addicted" to describe sesame chicken, but "good for you" to describe refried beans.
This suggests that fatty, sugary treats trigger a stronger emotional response in our brains, making them even more appealing. By crafting messages that resonate with consumers in this way, healthy food marketers can level the playing field and create a more tempting proposition for health-conscious consumers.
Photo by Lisa Fotios
Liar! The Psychology of Lying and How to Get People to be More Truthful
In this talk we explain the psychology of lying and reveal the signals that give deception away.
Our friends at Watch Me Think recently shared the recording from last year, so we thought we'd share it on.
What you can spot face to face; and data points you can use for detecting lying in business, from financial services applications to market research respondents.
And, importantly, the behavioural science “nudges” that persuade different groups of people to be more honest.
Photo by Anna Shvets
As ever, if there's anything we can help with, do get in touch.
James, Patrick and Dan
We practically apply the science of the human mind for hard, commercial results
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