Neuroscience Research

Few doubt that branding messages can be powerful, but new research shows that even when consumers don't recall the specific message, their preferences can be shaped to the point where they reject new information that conflicts with…

I've written a few times about the effects of pictures of attractive women on decision-making by men. In Bikinis, Babes, and Buying, we learned that guys who looked at pictures of bikini-clad women made impulsive decisions. In A…

In American Idol, Neuromarketing Style I noted that the Fox show I'd really like to see brain activity for was the ultra-intense drama 24. The combination of suspense, rapid-fire action, and occasional brutality would make for some…

Brain scans using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) don't always get a lot of respect. They have been accused of being used to produce research that is colorful but not particularly insightful. One study used fMRI to find…

One of the key factors in the human brain's ability to change via neuroplasticity is that neurons form interconnections based on simultaneous firing over a period of time. According to Norman Doidge, author of The Brain That Changes…

Book Review: The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman Doidge For centuries, the human brain was considered largely immutable after childhood. We were told that we had…

We'd all like to think better, but few of us have the time or desire to, say, spend years in a Tibetan monastery learning to meditate. Past studies have shown that such extended training can indeed improve cognitive functioning.…

One of my all-time most popular posts is Child Labor: Put That Baby to Work!, which showed how orienting a baby picture so that the baby was looking toward the headline of an ad caused people to spend more time reading that headline.…

Many of the decisions we make are guided by some kind of reward. Do I go through the McDonalds drive-thru window and get a burger and fries that will light my brain up like a Christmas tree, or do I delay eating until my planned meal-time…

In yet another indication that human olfactory responses can completely bypass our conscious thought process, a study at Florida State University has shown that the natural scent of an ovulating woman can boost the testosterone levels of…