NeuroCaps may sound like the most recent designer drug for altering perceptions of reality, but in reality they are devices for measuring brain activity. If A. K. Pradeep, author of The Buying Brain: Secrets for Selling to the Subconscious Mind, is to be believed, NeuroCaps can reveal more about why you do what you do than your conscious mind is aware of. What’s more is that I believe him.
We humans like to think that we are fully conscious, rational decision-makers in charge of our behaviors and, ultimately, our destiny. As a growing number of scientists have reported, however, rational decision-making is an illusion (see, for example, The Illusion of Conscious Will, by Daniel M. Wegner). In terms of human evolution, consciousness is an overlay on top of an unconscious (subconscious, other-than-conscious) brain that was responsible for ensuring the survival of the human species. It obviously worked very well.
We not only survived but thrived. Along the way, we developed consciousness, created larger and larger communities, commerce, industries, and industrial pollution. That does not, however, mean that the unconscious and its functions have quietly retired from “active duty.” They are alive and well and still performing their principal function of scanning the environment for threats to our survival and opportunities for enhancing our well-being. In general, this is a good thing. The caveat is that, while the unconscious is a wonderful servant, it doesn’t make a good master in what we like to think of as “modern, civilized life.”
The neuronal connections laid down as the unconscious mind was developing were designed to protect us from dangers in a literal jungle instead of the corporate jungles we now occupy. The threats to survival were real lions, tigers, bears, snakes, crocodiles, and other creatures who were also out looking for their dinner. Being a human was risky business, and staying alive wasn’t always easy. Certain gender differences developed during our early evolution that are still with us. Based on eons of hunting with spears and bows and arrows, males developed a high degree of focus on spatial perspectives and other skills required for hunting. Meanwhile, women develped greater focus the relationships required for gathering in groups while protecting children.
This gender difference continues in modern humans at the unconscious level and influences us whether we like it or not. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it continues to contribute to our survival as a species. The corporate jungle (and the “jungle” of big city traffic) is significantly different from the primitive jungles in which our ancestors evolved. The lions, tigers, bears, and snakes are metaphorical, but the stress response is the same as though they were literal. We continue to scan our environments for sources of danger and possible rewards. When you perceive a risk, you may know that you are angry or afraid without really not knowing why. Modern humans can have essentially the same fear response to being yelled at by a boss as our ancestors had coming face-to-face with a lion in the tall savanna grass, and a donut can seem really rewarding.
The Buying Brain is a book about selling and marketing. Pradeep’s company helps corporations fine-tune their advertising and other marketing efforts (such as packaging, product placement, store layout, etc.) in ways that will maximize the customers’ unconscious responses in favor of buying and using. As Pradeep points out, most of us don’t have a clue about why we are attracted to certain products and services more than to others. Yes, this is a book worth reading, if only for self-defense in the marketplace. It’s also worth reading if you might ever want to persuade someone to do, think, or believe something. The chances are that you won’t have a chance to put a NeuroCap on someone and ask them questions while your computer reveals what they are really thinking.
You do, however, have the next best option. You can learn more about how the brain works at both the conscious and unconscious levels and become increasingly aware of how you are communicating and being communicated with. When you know more, you have less to fear from those who would manipulate you into buying something (product, service, or political idea) that will not serve your needs well. You also have the opportunity to communicate with others in a way that will help them live better and enjoy life more. Effective mind-body communication is, after all, really an essential skill for understanding and influencing yourself and others.
