Mind, Brain, and Value

Attention

The Psychology of How Marketing Captures Our Attention

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on March 23, 2023

Why do we stop at some ads but not others? Or look at some billboards, but not others? It all comes down to the psychology of attention.

Relationships

The Psychology of Death Rituals

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on March 20, 2023

Throughout time and across cultures, it's relatively rare for there to be a strict divide between life and death. How do death rituals impact our attitudes toward the dead?

Cognition

How We View the Minds of the Dead

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on March 19, 2023

How do we think about the deceased? Social psychology helps unpack this mystery.

Neuroscience

How Hans Berger and EEG Revolutionized Psychological Science

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on March 13, 2023

How did psychology become the rich, scientific field that it is today? It all comes down to electricity, irrationality, and exceptional timing.

Neuroscience

How Hans Berger's Irrationality Changed Psychology Forever

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on March 12, 2023

Hans Berger was searching for telepathy. What he found was much more powerful.

Personality

Why Do We Anthropomorphize Corporations?

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on February 7, 2023

Corporations are people, too—at least in how we see their personalities.

Career

Why Loyalty Cards Don't Work

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on December 30, 2022

Companies invest billions of dollars each year in loyalty programs. But do they work?

Consumer Behavior

What Marketers Can Learn From Social and Cultural Psychology

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on September 28, 2022

When it comes to understanding consumers, behavioral economics is just the start. Here's what else marketing can learn from psychology.

Attention

Wabi-Sabi and the Psychology of Imperfection

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on July 5, 2022

What can the ancient Japanese concept of wabi-sabi teach us about navigating the modern world?

Attention

The Effects on Consumers of Augmented and Virtual Reality

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on April 27, 2022

The potential for virtual and augmented reality remains huge. But first we need to understand the different ways they impact human psychology.

Cognition

Why Taking Photos Can Backfire

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on April 13, 2022

A picture says a thousand words. But research suggests that the act of taking photos to share can actually reduce our enjoyment of an experience.

Consumer Behavior

How Psychology Can Help the Perception of Green Products

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on April 1, 2022

We tend to assume sustainable products don't perform as well. But new research suggests sustainability can actually boost perceived product performance.

Consumer Behavior

How Understanding Consumerism Can Improve Marketing Ethics

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on March 13, 2022

Can a marketing approach be considered ethical without understanding the psychology of the consumers?

Career

The Psychology Behind Asking the Right Question

Matt Johnson Ph.D. on December 21, 2021

From Kobe Bryant to Coco Chanel, how can we learn from the greats and incorporate their genius into our own lives? The answer lies in the power of the questions we ask.