Blog posts on consumer decision making by Sentient Decision Science, a global leader in implicit research.
My mother has always told me that age is a state of mind, and if you wanted to be younger, you can simply “think younger”. Though I’m sure many aging folk would disagree with such maternal wisdom, behavioral researchers John A. Bargh, Mark Chen, and Laura Burrows have evidence that supports my Mom’s thesis! In […]
I’m sure we’ve all noticed that the weather is the classic go-to conversation starter if you’re in need of small-talk, especially if you’re with a stranger and have nothing to say. It’s always a wonderful candidate for speaking-about-nothing because it’s ubiquitous (there’s weather everywhere), it affects everyone, and it’s a fairly objective, neutral topic. For […]
Kurt Warner doesn’t want to make an emotional decision. Good luck with that. In a thriller last night in Arizona, the 38 year-old Quarterback threw for five touchdowns and 379 yards on 29 of 33 passing in a 51-45 victory over the Green Bay Packers. With that kind of performance, the talk around the absurdity […]
A colleague once remarked to me that certain academically-oriented books are so accessible, so fun to read, and so compelling that they are like “scientific candy.” Jonah Lehrer’s How We Decide certainly has the pith and the readability of such candy, but it also has a surprising depth of insight and careful structuring that set it apart.
He brings the science to the reader via understandable analogies and examples ranging from Tom Brady’s strengths as a quarterback to the Gulf War. Unlike other types of candy, Lehrer’s blend never is too simplistic, too one-dimensional, or too focused to be unable to step back and look at the big picture.
“Gentlemen, the final rose tonight,” Chris Harrison, the host of The Bachelorette, dramatically intones. It is the dreaded moment for any contestant on the hit television show but especially for the current Bachelorette, Jillian Harris. At the end of each episode, Jillian must eliminate another suitor in her quest for “true love” and the perfect […]