Neuroscience might not be rocket science, but those dudes sure come up with some interesting discoveries that can literally change the way we interact with the world around us. The last decade has been one of the field of research’s most prolific, and the new revelations about persuasion and influence have revealed what some of us already knew, but now have confirmed.
So, what’s the secret? What works, every time? Turns out, it’s just that same thing we do every day: telling a story.
And that’s it! The news comes from professor Tali Sharot, whose book The Influential Mind explores how the amygdala – think the caveman part of our brain and the most ancient part of it from an evolutionary standpoint – is the key to being persuasive. When activated by a ripping good yarn, it sends huge signals to the rest of your body in the form of emotional response.
In other words, emotional stories drive what people do, while enhancing our memories. Think back to the last time you had an amazing day or went to an event that blew your mind. Good memories, lots of emotions, right? Even going to watch ha movie shows how influential these emotions are – the theater screams at the horror movie, laughs at the comedy, and cries at the end of a depressing drama. It’s not so much the magic of Hollywood as it is our prehistoric amygdala doing that thing it does best.
More importantly, the latest research shows that the amygdala is also the part of your brain that connects with people. When was the last time you just ‘clicked’ or ‘got’ someone? Yep, it’s your amygdala.
As a marketer, that’s the brain part that you HAVE to capture. It’s the secret of persuasion, which leads on to all other successes in your business!
What the researchers found using MRI machines was that stories are really, incredibly powerful. Say, you’re telling a personal story, with your highs and lows. A journey through a part of your life. Your