Sentient Insight: the business blog for consumer psychology and consumer marketing

Researchers in the field of social psychology have long been interested in one of the most significant malaises of society in developed countries: stereotyping. One study in particular stands out as a foundational breakthrough in showing how subconscious priming (presenting information to people in a manner that is not perceived consciously) can illuminate the true strength of stereotypes in the every-day individuals.

Let’s play a game: There are ten coins on the table. The rules of the game are simple. I propose a way we should split the coins; you can either accept or reject my proposal. If you accept my terms, we get the coins according to my proposed split. If you reject them, we both get nothing. That’s it, and no second chances for positive reciprocity. Sound easy? Well, it’s more complicated than you might think.  Let’s play anyway:

As a culture (or perhaps just a cold New England culture) we’ve developed stereotypes about some of the warmer states like sunny California (72 and sunny!) or the renowned hospitality of the genteel Southern states. There might be a scientific explanation for this kind of thinking. Research on interpersonal impression shows that warmth in particular can exert considerable power on how we judge people. When given a hot cup of coffee to hold by a stranger in an elevator for just a few moments, people rated this stranger’s personality more warmly. The opposite was true, too: if given a cup of ice coffee in identical circumstances, participants in the experiment rated the personality of the stranger as being colder.

Frugal behaviors and healthy living go hand and hand, according to the April First Command Financial Behaviors IndexTM and recently reported in The New York Times. The Index, commissioned by First Command and conducted by Sentient, examines financial behaviors, attitudes and intentions among U.S. consumers ongoing since February 2008. While there’s little doubt that the recession has had a negative effect on health by way of increasing stress and anxiety and other such ailments, there is evidence that recessionary behaviors may actually be improving Americans’ health. The April First Command Financial Behaviors IndexTM reports that nearly one-half of Americans (49%) believe that their frugal behaviors are making them healthier, and an additional 45 percent believe that at least some of...

The Garden Variety How do we know what others are feeling? How do we gauge our audience in social interactions? Paul Ekman, a prominent psychological researcher, suggests that it’s all in our facial expressions. Even if you’re the type of person who keeps your emotions to yourself, Ekman’s research shows that humans are psychologically disposed to show our emotions on our faces.  Analyzing facial expressions in others, thus, is one way in which we empathize with other’s emotions. And it’s not always something you’re conscious of. Consequently, we don’t wear our hearts on our sleeves; we display them right on our faces!

Winning Olympic gold in skiing requires a certain risk vs. reward profile. The old saying saying of “without risk, there is no reward” certainly holds true, but just how much risk is the right amount of risk and what motivates people to take that risk instead of playing it safe for a more secure outcome? There has been a great deal of talk among the skiers and announcers about pointing your skis down the fall line, and letting ‘em run. Listening to the skiers speak about their wins and near misses provides great insight into the motivational focus that is driving these athletes in pursuit of their goals. Here is what Lindsay Vonn had to say after her bronze medal performance in the Super Combi. Her quote gives you a sense what kind of risk profile is necessary to win.

Imagine you’re at the top of the men’s Super G at the 2010 Olympics. You are the reigning Downhill season champion and three days earlier you were favored to win the Downhill, you finished in a disappointing 6th place. You’re 35 years old.  Twelve years ago you took the Silver at the Nagano Olympics in Japan in 1998. This is likely your last best chance to win an Olympic gold medal. You are Didier Cuche. The iconic downhill call voice of announcer Tim Ryan from NBC recounts your history, dating back to that near miss of gold in Nagano, and your travails ever since as Olympic gold has evaded your grasp, and as you launch out of the gate he states what everyone watching already understands:

We recently gave a talk at the Boston Product Management Association’s (BPMA) monthly event held at Oracle in Burlington, MA. In the talk we reviewed literature on how humans do not follow the rational economic model of decision making, but rather are heavily influenced by unconscious and emotional factors in day-to-day decision making. We also introduced our advanced unconscious research methods, which utilize implicit measures to understand what consumers can’t – or won’t – tell us about their attitudes toward brands, products and services. The method gets to the heart of emotional decision-making and helps identify the nonconscious consumer emotions that lead to trial and purchase.

It’s fourth down with two yards to go. You’re facing the decision to punt the ball to Peyton Manning and Colts offense with a little over 2 minutes to play and giving your defense the chance to stop a touchdown drive, or to go for it and essentially end the game with a first down. In the decision sciences we call this type of situation: “decision making under uncertainty”. Rational decision theory says that we calculate or estimate the likely probability of success in each scenario and we choose the option with the greatest expected utility. In this case, a rational decision-maker chooses the option with the highest probability of winning.

Take a moment and let your mind wander; inhale deeply, exhale, and find your neutral state. Now click play on the video below. You might want to turn down your speaker volume a little. Are you smiling? Did you laugh out loud? My guess is that, like me, some of this little boy’s infectious (even zealous) excitement rubbed off on you. Look at how wide his mouth gets. That thunderous enthusiasm flooding his body makes his arms tremble as he holds the box in front of him. His hungry hands claw across its surface, proving to himself that it is, in fact, Christmas morning and not a deceitful dream. The tidal volume of his voice never drops below a bestial shriek. Now watch the video again, but this time pay careful attention to the arguably more interesting character in this gripping melodrama:...