Can a Crappy Video Effect Your Decision Making?

Roger Dooley (Neuroscience Marketing) writes about Dan Ariely (author of Predictably Irrational) research below. I hope they didn’t use a Nalts video as the “annoying” stimuli, but would certainly understand. Hey, Ariely… what DID you use?

Dooley: “Ariely and fellow researcher Eduardo Andrade set out to see how [emotions impact behavior] effect played out in the lab. They began by showing subjects either an annoying or amusing video, and then asking them to write about a similar experience in their own life. The subjects then participated in a variant of the Ultimatum Game in which they had to accept or reject an offer which was identical for all subjects.

The answer is not just yes emotion changed decision-making behavior, but even freakier. “The emotional carryover from the video and writing exercise markedly altered their behavior on the unrelated money decision.”

The second, and more telling part of the experiment took place at a later time when the emotions of the subjects had dissipated. Despite the absence of the emotional stimulus, the subjects behaved consistently with their previous decision. The behavior first triggered by the irrelevant emotion had itself become internalized.

Bottom Line: try not to get annoyed. It will have a lasting effect on your decisions, and your executive brain’s replication of them. But if you don’t like that advice, I have a video for you (I play the knife). 

As an aside… I was all flippin’ out yesterday about the need to research our marketing on the amygdala. You know I’m over- or under-medicating when I’m sending our market research leader an e-mail with the subject header: “GIVE ME A HOLLA TEST THE AMY-G-DALA.” In further proof the universe (er, God) has a plan, she had already scheduled some dudes to visit on Monday with a Walter-Bishop-esque head helmet that can measure emotions. I’m keen to test images and messages using it, then simulate a decision immediately following the research… just to be sure that we don’t assume a high/low emotion equals positive behavior intent (conventional wisdom says a little irritation in advertising can increase recall and intent… so pure positive emotion may not necessarily invite a positive new behavior, right?).

I also really want to get some YoTube video of me wearing one of these emas I watch popular YouTubers. What happens to my brain when I get some VlogBrothers or Shaycarl? What about Michael Buckley, Ray William Johnson or Kassemg? I have a feeling I’ll be surprised, and that my favorite people may not necessarily produce the most positive emotions.

Can you spot a fake smile?