Category: psychology
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #57 — There Are 4 Types Of Creativity
Have you heard someone say, “Oh, John – he’s so creative! I wish I was creative like that.” It makes it sound as if creativity is a natural skill or talent, like the ability to sing or paint. Other times people say “I’m going to a seminar to learn how to be more creative.” That…
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #55 – During Sleep You Consolidate Learnings and Memories
Why do people sleep? — Well, not just people, but all kinds of animals sleep. When you think about it, it’s actually quite a strange idea that for 1/4 to 1/3 of each day we go unconscious and are oblivious to the world around us. Scientists for years have wondered and studied what goes on…
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #47 — People Value A Product More Highly If It Is Physically In Front Of Them
You go online to re-order a box of your favorite pens. Will you value the product more if the product page has a picture of the pens versus just a text description? Would you think the pens are worth more if you were in the office store and the pen was right in front of…
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #45 — You Choose (And Vote For) The First One On The List
It’s almost election time here in the USA, and there are many hotly contested elections at local, state, and national levels. Who will you vote for? According to the research, you are likely to vote for the first person that appears on the ballot! The order effect — In my book, Neuro Web Design: What…
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #44 — When Uncertain, People Look To Others to Decide What To Do
You are browsing a website to decide what to boots to buy. You see a pair that looks good and then you scroll down to see the ratings. Many people have rated the boots highly, but a few say the boots are cheaply made and uncomfortable. What will you do? Will you buy the boots or…
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #43 — People Expect Online Interactions to Follow Social Rules
When people interact with each other they follow rules and guidelines for social interaction. Here’s an example: Let’s say I go to a café and I see you sitting by the window. We know each other, and so I come up to you and say, “Hi Richard, how are you doing today?” I expect you…
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #42 — We'll spend more money if you don't mention money
You are out for a Sunday bike ride on your favorite biking path, and you come across a pair of kids selling lemonade. Do you stop and buy some lemonade? Do you like the lemonade? Does your buying or liking the lemonade have anything to do with the wording on the sign next to the…
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #41 — Your Most Vivid Memories Are Wrong
If I ask you to remember where you were and what you were doing when you first heard about the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, chances are very good that you will be able to tell me in great detail your memory of that day, and how you heard about the attacks.…
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100 Things You Should Know About People: #40 — "You're Easily Influenced, but I'm not"
I have been doing a lot of public speaking about my book and the ideas of persuasion. Early in my talks I often discuss John Bargh’s research on how much we are influenced by factors that we are not aware of. Bargh had people unscramble sets of words to make sentences, for example, he would…
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Send Me To South By Southwest: Vote for my panel
I’ve submitted to speak at South By Southwest (SXSW) next spring. The talk I’ve submitted is: The Psychology of Web Design: Interactive Behavior Explained. SXSW has an interesting way of deciding who the speakers are — 30% of their decision is based on votes. So if you go to the description of my talk (click…
