Session one
🧠 Hello brain!
Session one memory deck
The memory deck is a cut-down and annotated version of the slides we followed in our session together.
Cooldown activities
To read…
Influencing Financial Behavior: From Changing Minds to Changing Contexts (2012).
This paper reviews interventions attempted across various financial organisations to change customer behaviour. The paper challenges the traditional view of attempting to change people’s minds through education, to instead change the context in which people make a decision.
Here’s why you should stay away from your brain’s potential.
A short article I wrote which uses Luc Besson’s 2014 film ‘Lucy’ as the base for looking into our brains.
The Mind is Flat by Nick Chater
If you want your mind blown, then I recommend reading The Mind is Flat. Nick Chater is Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School and discusses the idea that people don’t really have attitudes, opinions, and beliefs in the way they think. When you start to understand the reality of people’s attitudes, you can better communicate and design content which supports positive decision-making.
The Teenage Brain by John Coleman
This has been written for parents and caregivers, but offers all those involved in teenagers’ lives insight into what’s happening in their brains and how understanding them can improve communication at this crucial stage. It explains key topics, including the way the brain changes during adolescence, the role of hormones, and what we really know about risk and resilience, sleep and peer pressure.
Why is Spain in the wrong time zone?
We mentioned this in the session, so I thought I’d share a link to an article that discusses it.
To watch…
VW Fun Theory – Changing the driving environment
Part of Volkswagon’s Fun Theory Series, looking into novel ways to change driving behaviour, this short video explores how changing the driving environment can change driving behaviour in parents.
This video is now a few years old. Think about how much easier this idea would be to implement in more modern cars. Also, how do you think this idea could be adapted to change the behaviour of younger drivers?
Pareidolia effect on ‘For the Love of Cars’ (Channel 4)
If you want to laugh at me trying to control some wild children while filming a psychological experiment for Channel 4 – here you go. The pareidolia effect shows how mechanisms below our consciousness can affect our decisions (in this case when buying a car).
Also, how did the producers miss calling a series about cars starring Philip Glenister, Life on Cars!?!
VW Fun Theory – Speed Camera Lottery
I thought I’d share another VW Fun Theory video as it also attempts to reduce speeding behaviour. This idea was trialled in Stockholm and resulted in the average speed dropping from 32km/h to 25km/h (a 22% reduction). Not only that, the residents were happy with the intervention and proud that their city was part of something positive and rewarding.
To listen…
Why we hate being told what to do (The Pessimist’s Archive Podcast)
This episode of the great podcast looks at the role psychology has played in people’s decisions to wear masks during the pandemic. It compares the communications and tac-tics used to persuade people during the 1918 outbreak of Spanish Flu with today’s messaging from governments. A lot of the thinking is relevant to how to support customers to do something that is better for them.
Extras …
Great Myths of the Brain
A short and super focused book all about debunking the brain myths from history and the ones which the mainstream media just won’t let go of. Looking behind why people thought feeling lumps on the head could tell you someone’s personality, to why brain food will not make you smarter.
By Christian Jarrett
Neurocomic (Graphic Novel)
If long text books aren’t your thing, but you still fancy finding out more about the brain, then this is the book for you. A graphic novel walking through the inner working of the brain.
By Dr Matteo Farinella & Dr Hana Ros
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
How a science journalist started to write an article on memory and ended up in the finals of the US Memory Championship. A great and easy read which still retains a nice slice of scientific thinking about our brains.
By Joshua Foer
The Brain: The Story of You
A pop-science book on how our brain works. With lots of examples from everyday life including the process of how the brain develops from birth.
By David Eagleman