A few years ago, a neuroscientist by the name of Reza Habib conducted a study to find out what’s actually going on physically in the brain when we gamble. Habib compared addictive gamblers to casual gamblers. There was a clear difference in brain activity between the two types of test subjects. Addictive personalities get excited even when there’s a near miss. Casual gamblers realize a near miss is still a loss.
Gaming companies can use this information to create effective products that keep you coming back. Have you ever bought a scratch ticket because your last one was so close to being a big winner? This is the near miss phenomenon we’re talking about.
The company that prints those tickets produces a certain amount of near misses on purpose to keep you coming back. It’s a bit of marketing genius and can significantly increase their bottom line. This is a great example of the close relationship between neuroscience and human psychology.
A New Way – Neuromarketing
This use of neuroscience to help sell products is a relatively new phenomenon. In fact, Ale Smidts, a Professor of Marketing Research at the Rotterdam School of Management, only coined the term Neuromarketing in 2002. Still, it’s an approach to marketing that’s being used by many successful companies today.
