tns the secret life of the brain

7/27/2019 TNS The Secret Life of the Brain

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The secret lie o the brain

Opinion LeaderBrain Game

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The human brain has developed a hugelyecient way o getting us through lie but its management style means thatwe are oten unaware o why we act theway we do.


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New discoveries revealing how the brain reallydecides have important implications or anyoneinvolved in infuencing and understanding humanbehaviour. In the rst o a series o articles, we lookat the challenge o understanding the unconsciousrules o thumb that govern our daily lives.

Human beings like to think o other humans asrational creatures, that make logical choices andunderstand why they behave the way that they

do. Fortunately or the survival and sanity o ourspecies, were wrong.

The human brain is certainly capable ospectacularly rational thought. Moments osupreme logical deduction have helped us tograsp the physical laws o the universe andour planet, expanded our understanding oourselves, put men on the moon and muchmore besides. But i we spent our lives operating

with the same parts o the brain that deliveredsuch achievements, wed have been wipedout long beore they took place: gobbled upby lions and leopards whilst we balanced the


relative merits o climbing a tree or running;or starving to death trying to work out whichberries and leaves were sae to eat. Even iwed somehow made it into the 21st century,

a trip to the supermarket would be enough tonish us o, as we stood in aisles or hours onend attempting to gure out a rational way tocompare breakast cereals.


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Whos in charge here?Thankully, the human brain works in a armore ecient way. As K.E. Stanovich and R.F.West rst described in a seminal paper o theyear 2000 (and Daniel Kahneman helped tomake amous in his landmark book, Thinking,Fast and Slow), we have broadly speaking, twoorms o consciousness, two ways o usingour brain. We reserve the slow, resource-heavyand exhaustively rational part that Stanovich

and West termed System 2 only or occasionswhen we really, really need it. It is to System 1,

our intuitive, unconscious sel, that the task orunning our day-to-day lives is delegated andSystem 1 perorms it using our limited brainresources as eciently and rapidly as possible.Fast and rugal heuristics, shortcuts that cutdown on the need or brain time, epitomisethe way that System 1 goes about things. Aheuristic can best be understood as a rule othumb; a means o approximating what the bestcourse o action is likely to be, without the need

to consider options in any more detail than isnecessary: always run when you hear a noisebehind you, eat red berries rather than greenones, cereals without cartoons on the box arebetter or your heart, and so on. The heuristicsthat System 1 uses orm part o an ongoingmodel o the world that has a near-instantanswer to most situations that we encounter.Only when System 1 encounters a newsituation that doesnt t into this model does it

encourage the slow-moving, energy-intensiveresources o System 2 to get involved.


Times fyingOne o the symptoms o this division o brainresources is particularly amiliar or humans intheir late 30s and beyond: the sense o timefying by aster as we get older. Depressingly,this happens because we encounter less that isgenuinely new to us. The ewer novel situationsthat we encounter, the less System 2 getsinvolved in our daily lives, the less our rationalconsciousness is engaged with what we are

doing and the less sense our brain has otime passing.


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The economist Herbert Simon reerred tothis system o putting bounds on our useo reasoning as satiscing (a term coinedrom using satisy with suce). Whensatiscing, we ocus only on nding a solutionthats good enough or our needs, and avoidexhausting ourselves trying to nd the bestpossible course o action. Rationing our brainresources in this way gets us through lie

incredibly eciently whilst allowing System 2 toocus on the tasks that really require it, such asworking out a complicated cost-benet analysisor example. For much o the time, System 2

isnt actually involved in decision-making atall. However, it has a monopoly on the tasko explaining what we do and why we do it both to ourselves and others. This means thatSystem 2 oten has the job o coming up withexplanations or decisions that it wasnt actuallyinvolved in.

Rory Sutherland, the vice chairman o Ogilvy,

has a handy metaphor that captures therelationship between the two elements oour consciousness. System 2 thinks its theOval Oce, but its actually the Press Oce.


It genuinely believes that it makes all decisions,whereas in many cases it is simply spinning themin a way that seems logical. A kinder analogy maybe a company Chairman who has set corporatestrategy in the past (since System 2s rationalthought helps set the ramework or the waySystem 1 operates) but has little idea how it isbeing executed in the present. System 2 monitorsour unconscious behaviour and it can step in

very eectively when needed. But it struggles todistinguish between the times it decided andthe times it simply tted an explanation to adecision System 1 had already taken.


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Talking to the wrong brainThis creates a huge problem or marketersand researchers because System 2 is theconsciousness they invoke when askingconsumers what they plan to do and whythey did what they did and thereore theconsciousness that they build brand propositionsand advertising strategies around. Yet inanswering their questions, System 2 is otenstruggling to explain decisions that it had no

immediate part in.

The dilemma is this: when we ask System1-related questions o the System 2 brain,we risk inviting unreliability; yet it is no easymatter to get answers out o System 1 instead.System 1 does decisions it doesnt really dosel-expression. As a result, the vast majority obrand research engages System 2, whilst lots obrand decisions dont engage System 2 at all.

We see the symptoms o these dicultiesthroughout brand tracking research. Oneexample is mutually compensating error by

which aggregate measures o purchase intentappear roughly correct thanks to roughly equalnumbers o respondents giving the oppositewrong answers. The inherent dynamism omarkets is another clue. Consumers constantlyshit spend between a repertoire o brandsrather than making the consistent choices thatwe might expect i decisions were based onapplied, reasoned thought.

In order to get to the truth about how thebrain works and thereore the real strengths,weaknesses and opportunities or brands we need to adapt our approach in two ways.Firstly, we must avoid asking questions in waysthat invite System 2 to explain our unconsciousdecision processes; secondly, we have to grapplewith the chemical and biological processestaking place within our System 1 brain in orderto get to the bottom o whats really going on.



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Cutting out the spin doctorThe rst task is potentially the simplest. And TNShas already done extensive work re-engineeringbrand tracker surveys to avoid System 2 givingwell-intentioned but misleading answers. Thisinvolves ruthlessly ocusing on the metrics thatactually relate to the way the brain works, andthereore correlate better with actual behaviour.

A great example is measurement o brand

awareness, a staple o brand tracker surveys.Unprompted awareness tells us a great dealmore about consumers likely recognition obrands and the purchase decisions they willmake than aided awareness, which relies onSystem 2 activity in order to bring a brand tomind. Unsurprisingly, spontaneous awarenesscorrelates ar better with actual behaviourthan aided awareness. The simple and obvioussolution is to cut aided awareness questions

out o tracker surveys and not give System 2

the chance to start spinning about decisionsit has little immediate role in. We nd thesame pattern when respondents are asked torank brands: knowing which brand is rankednumber 1 on satisaction is ar more valuable inpredicting uture behaviour than knowing whichbrands are ranked 2, 3, 4 and lower. System 1is ar less likely to consider such options whenmaking its rule-o-thumb decisions, and bycareully amassing such marginal inormation,

researchers are simply diluting the data thatactually matters.

So much or reducing System 2s infuenceon our understanding o System 1 decisions;the second part o the challenge is the morecomplex one: getting to the bottom ohow System 1 actually works. This requiresresearchers to leave the rational consciousnessbehind and look in more detail at the chemical

processes that take place in the brain.



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Into the System 1 worldThe heuristics through which System 1 makesmany decisions are reinorced by aectivememory structures; networks o neurons thatare associated with things the brain recognisesin the outside world, and with the emotionsthat it eels in response to them. Because theconnections between neurons in the brain decayover time, these patterns are inherently unstableand potentially unpredictable. However, not

all neural connections are created equal; someare both stronger and more durable thanothers. This is particularly true o connectionsbetween neurons that are activated togetherover a longer period o time (a process knownas Long Term Potentiation) or during arousingor emotive experiences that release connection-strengthening chemicals (ear, anger and sex aregood examples).The relative strength o neural connections

matters, not just because stronger neural


connections last longer, but because theytransmit aster. This triggers a aster activationo the memories or experiences associated withthem, and ensures they get more attention rom

the brain. Its a natural neurological platorm orheuristic decision-making, because it inevitablyprioritises one orm o pattern or associationover another in a given situation.


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Brain chemistry in actionWe see the relative strength o neuralconnections at work in many o the mostrequent heuristics ollowed by consumers.Familiarity bias is a heuristic that results romthe regular reinorcing o neural connectionsthrough repeated exposure or the regularrepeating o an action. Over time, this avoursthe activation o specic associations overother, less amiliar ones. For a shopper in a

supermarket, this might involve buying exactlythe same brand and type o shampoo every timethat they visit something that sales data tellsus happens 45 percent o the time. However,because the neural connections biasing thischoice are not permanent, amiliarity biascannot be relied upon i the reinorcement isnot maintained. While the most regular userso a brand are most likely to maintain their levelo usage the ollowing year, consumers who

use the brand on a less requent basis are morelikely to drop it rom their repertoire altogether.We see the results o this in shiting share owallet patterns.

The relative strength o dierent neuronnetworks can create an attentional spotlightthat ocuses on one element in decisionmaking to the exclusion o others. This canhappen unconsciously, as when our brain isprimed to ocus on dierent things in dierentenvironments (making us unable to see itemsthat are out o place in a supermarket shel, orexample); or consciously, when we have made adecision to ocus on a heuristic such as price.

When ocusing on a single heuristic, we invokeGigerenzers Stopping Rules, whereby ourdecision-making uses a small, manageablecombination o attributes to dierentiate ourchoices and then stops as soon as it nds thechoice that wins on that basis. When comparingprices, or example, we dont waste brain timeweighing up the detailed characteristics o eachproduct; instead, we quickly approximate which

seems to oer the best relative value. Given thespeedy nature o this decision making, tacticssuch as anchoring to lower numbers (pricing

at 3.99 rather than 4, or example) can behighly eective.



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System 1 strategyOnce brands and marketers are armed withan understanding o how the System 1 brainoperates, they can start to develop eectivestrategies or infuencing it. This can involveensuring competitiveness on the heuristicsthat are most infuential or their category or alternatively, hijacking the heuristic processby creating and triggering powerul aectivememories in the brain that demand even

more attention.

The importance o repeated experience inreinorcing neural connections means thatactors such as availability, aordability anddistribution are hugely important to brands truestrength in the market. Products that consumerssee and have the opportunity to buy regularlyhave ar more opportunity to reinorce relevantnetworks o neurons and benet rom cognitivebiases like amiliarity. On the other hand, aproduct that is out o sight through lack o

distribution, or never bought through lacko aordability, could easily drop out o mind.

Reinorcing aective memory structures throughrepeated use is ar rom the only means ostrengthening them, however. Flooding thebrain with relevant chemicals, known asneurotransmitters, helps to build strong anddurable connections and ensures that a brandgrabs more o System 1s attention when it is

encountered. Lets take an unashamedly sexistapproach to lager advertising as an example.A brands ads show its lager alongside scantilyclad young women, ring o neurotransmittersin sex-sensitive areas o the brains o the young

men who see the ad, and creating strongeraective memory patterns as a result. Whenthese same young men next walk past thebrand in a bar or supermarket, these aectivememories re up ar aster than those triggeredby rival brands thanks to the benets o heavilyreinorced neural connections. The brand leapsout at the consumer and stands an increasedchance o ending up in their shopping basketor pint glass.

Firing the chemicals that can create strongeraective memory structures can and should bea priority or creative bries: agencies that canconsistently develop TV ads with sexy casts andterriyingly, unpredictable and hilarious endings(releasing neurotransmitting chemicals throughear, humour and surprise) should be worth theirweight in gold.

Personal experience remains the most powerulorce or creating neural connections, however and the impact o strongly positive personalexperience is generally likely to bias consumerstowards choosing the same brand again. This



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interaction between brands and experience canwork in both directions, with the presence o abrand itsel ring o networks o neurons thatcause a consumer to enjoy it more. EEG analysisshows that drinks really do taste better in thebrains o consumers when they come rom abranded container, or example. Interestingly,the experiences o other people, particularlytrusted riends or amily, can themselves helpto orm stronger aective patterns, attaching

considerable value to positive word-o-mouthrom these sources. The experience that guidesSystem 1 decisions isnt always a consumersown.

Which thumb are you using?Despite the tools that brands have at theirdisposal or infuencing the System 1 brain,the importance o heuristics in day-to-daydecision-making still leaves them with a

dilemma. We know that in many situations,we unconsciously prioritise one rule o thumbover all others; the trick is in establishing which

rule o thumb is likely to predominate or agiven brand, consumer and context. Researchhas a crucial role to play in establishing theheuristics that brands should be ocusing onin their relationships to consumers and themost eective means o establishing aectivememories that can bias choice in their avour.


However, to do so successully, it must committo looking beyond the traditional approach, avoidengaging in rational dialogue about instinctivechoices and remember that the real action isoten taking place elsewhere in the brain. We willlook at urther implications o such brain activityor brands in later articles in this series.


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Aect:Aect reers to the perceptible and imperceptiblephysical processes in the body that are broughtabout by the release o specic chemicals inresponse to particularly arousing or salient stimuli,or by the recollection o emotive memories. Aectgenerally helps us make ecient decisions byhelping our brains ocus on the stimuli, memoriesand experiences that are important or our survival.

Cognitive bias:A consistent mental deviation rom purely rational

judgement in the interpretation and storage oinormation and experiences; sometimes due toevolutionary predispotions that have evolved overmillennia and sometimes due to individuals limitedprocessing power.

Emotion:A response o the brain to circumstances andevents, which involves a more conscious,identiable mental eeling than aect. Many

Glossary o key terms

psychologists describe emotions as resulting romthe interplay between aective reactions andcognitive thought processes.

Heuristic:A heuristic is a rule o thumb. They are otenapplied used in problem solving to limit theamount o detailed reasoning required by makingdecisions based on a limited set o criteria (orheuristics). Heuristics can be useul or rapidlyapproximating what the best course o action islikely to be in a specic scenario. Decision makerscan adopt heuristic techniques both consciouslyand unconsciously.

Long-term Potentiation (LTP):The process by which neurons that re together,wire together. Long-term Potentiation occurswhen neurons that are stimulated together overan extended period o time develop a long-lasting,enhanced ability to transmit impulses to oneanother in the uture.

Neuron:A nerve cell, within the brain or elsewhere inthe body, that is involved in the processing oinormation and the control o body unctions,amongst other things. Also known as a nerve.

Neurotransmitter:A chemical substance that plays a pivotal role intranserring impulses rom one neuron to anotherwithin the brain (as well as between other nervecells in the body). The neurotransmitter is releasedby a nerve impulse and diuses across the tiny gap(or synapse) between neurons, to trigger the sameimpulse in other neurons.

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About the author

Kyle Findlay is a Senior R&D Executive at the TNS GlobalBrand Equity Centre (GBEC) in Cape Town, South Arica. TheGBEC develops and supports brand and communicationsthinking and solutions within TNS. Kyle has been intimatelyinvolved in the development o solutions such as the

ConversionModel and models o consumer infuence.

Kyles work eeds his passion or uncovering what makespeople tick and sharing it with others. He has a strong desireto bring the hard sciences to bear on the question o whypeople do what they do. This passion has encouraged himto delve into specic scientic areas such as neuroscience,network theory and big data to produce internationalaward-winning papers in some o these areas.

You may

be interested in...

Rory Sutherland, Ogilvy, discusses his perspective onthe system 1 and 2 brain at the TNS Growth Summit>

Lets talk about you Jannie Homeyr discusses howto get accurate, actionable ideas rom research>

1. Kanheman, D. 2011. Thinking, Fast and Slow

2. Gigerenzer, G. 1999. Simple Heuristics that MakeUs Smart3. Stanovich, K E.; West, R F. (2000). Individual dierencein reasoning: implications or the rationality debate?.Behavioural and Brain Sciences 23: 645726.4. Herbert SimonFrom Wiki: Simon, H. A. (1956). Rational choice and thestructure o the environment. Psychological Review, Vol. 63No. 2, 129-138. (page 129: Evidently, organisms adapt wellenough to satisce; they do not, in general, optimize.;page 136: A satiscing path, a path that will permitsatisaction at some specied level o all its needs.)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satiscing#cite_note-25. Coke FMRI study: McClure, Samuel M.; Li, Jian; Tomlin,

Damon; Cypert, Kim S.; Montague, Latane M. andMontague, P. Read. 2004. Neural Correlates o BehavioralPreerence or Culturally Familiar Drinks. Neuron, Vol. 44,379387, October 14, 2004, Copyright 2004 by Cell Press

Reerences
http://www.tnsglobal.com/news-center/video/aspergers-inc-and-neo-classical-economic-modelhttp://www.tnsglobal.com/news-center/video/aspergers-inc-and-neo-classical-economic-modelhttp://www.tnsglobal.com/sites/default/files/whitepaper/TNS_WP_RE_LetsTalkAboutYou.pdfhttp://www.tnsglobal.com/sites/default/files/whitepaper/TNS_WP_RE_LetsTalkAboutYou.pdfhttp://www.tnsglobal.com/sites/default/files/whitepaper/TNS_WP_RE_LetsTalkAboutYou.pdfhttp://www.tnsglobal.com/sites/default/files/whitepaper/TNS_WP_RE_LetsTalkAboutYou.pdfhttp://www.tnsglobal.com/news-center/video/aspergers-inc-and-neo-classical-economic-modelhttp://www.tnsglobal.com/news-center/video/aspergers-inc-and-neo-classical-economic-modelhttp://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2FTNSGlobal%2Fthe-secret-life-of-the-brain&original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2FTNSGlobal%2Fthe-secret-life-of-the-brain&token=&isFramed=false&lang=en_US&_ts=1355137714869.6025http://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http://bit.ly/SQYJsvhttp://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20secret%20life%20of%20the%20brain%20%E2%80%93%20a%20perspective%20on%20+%23heuristics%20from%20@tns_global%20-%20http://bit.ly/SQYJsv%20+%23mrx


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About In Focus

In Focus is part o a regular series o articles that takes an in-depth look at a particular subject, region or

demographic in more detail. All articles are written by TNS consultants and based on their expertise gathered

through working on client assignments in over 80 markets globally, with additional insights gained through

TNS proprietary studies such as Digital Lie, Mobile Lie and The Commitment Economy.

About TNS

TNS advises clients on specic growth strategies around new market entry, innovation, brand switching and

stakeholder management, based on long-established expertise and market-leading solutions. With a presence

in over 80 countries, TNS has more conversations with the worlds consumers than anyone else and understands

individual human behaviours and attitudes across every cultural, economic and political region o the world.

TNS is part o Kantar, one o the worlds largest insight, inormation and consultancy groups.

Please visit www.tnsglobal.com or more inormation.

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tns the secret life of the brain

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