altruism

A vivid story can put us in a more altruistic mode, a study shows. UK researchers looked at the two ways people think about death – abstractly or specifically. They used a detailed story which placed the reader in a burning apartment to activate specific death thoughts. A second group of subjects answered more general questions about death, while a control group was exposed to non-death-related material.

continued from part one, this article will be published in 10 instalments

seven: be an altruist, think user-benefit vs. company-benefit

If you are human, you are subject to temptation. In a religious context, temptation is an invitation to sin, i.e., to break the established rules of that particular faith. Even without the influence of religion, society has both formal constraints (laws) and less formal ones (socially acceptable behavior) that seek to rein in temptation.

by: Roger Dooley

OK, here’s a quick task: take a minute to write down some common characteristics and behaviors that superheroes might exhibit… (DON’T read further until you have jotted down some ideas.)

by: Scott Goodson

Cindy Gallop is a good friend. She left the ad agency BBH to start a new life and business. She has been busy developing her new company the past year. Wired's Blog outed Cindy's new venture today. (Below)

I think it is a wonderful idea. I feel empowered by the idea. We live in an idealistic world. It removes obstacle to idealism. What a brilliant service.

by: Roger Dooley

by: Roger Dooley

The Mating Mind. A prof at the University of New Mexico has an interesting suggestion: the evolution of the human brain was largely driven by finding better ways to appeal to the opposite sex.

by: Roger Dooley

Often, neuromarketing and neuroeconomic research seems to mostly confirm what we already knew, but a study at the University of Oregon produced results that are counter to what one might expect: rather than activating pain centers in the brain, paying taxes activates reward centers - the same areas of the brain that fire in response to food and social interaction.