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Repeated exposure to words, phrases or objects gives rise to an unconscious association of happiness to them. In terms of evolution, this is just the habituation to something we routinely see that poses no risk. In fact, not only do we get used to them, we actually associate happiness to these objects.
An interesting study was done in a student newspaper, where random turkish words were printed in a box on the front page. Some of the words were repeated numerous times, whilst others just once – this was done at several universities, with different numbers of multiplicity for each word (i.e. in one newspaper, a word was printed numerous times over the course of the weeks, whilst that word in another newspaper was printed only once – and vice versa).
This practice was continued for several weeks at different universities until a study was taken, seemingly (to all participants) unrelated to the newspaper boxes. When asked whether each turkish word had a positive or negative sound to it, a significant number of students associated the turkish words which were repeated more with a more positive response compared to the less often repeated words.
[edit: this study was mentioned in Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kanehman — though he didn’t cite the paper… since he’s a Nobel Laureate, I imagine citing him is enough!]
This is probably one (of the many) reasons why Coca-Cola and Pepsi still advertise even if the entire world is likely to have heard of them.
abichica said:
wooww!! what a very interesting study!! I really didnt know that some random words can create a positive response, with me words usually create a bad memory more than a good memory.. 🙂
dellasman said:
So much for Aesop’s “Familiarity breeds contempt.” LOL
seiberg said:
ha! Aesop obviously should’ve studied psychology!
rachelmeeks said:
Very interesting. You often hear about notions like this is discussions of child development. but it’s fascinating to see some of these childhood instincts still working in adults.
seiberg said:
I guess we just suppress them as we grow up… the subconscious though is a strange thing.
outlawmama said:
Freshly pressed! Go you!
shesellzseeShellz said:
Your last point is, in fact, very true indeed. Were it possible, these brands would pay to register themselves in the Websters Dictionary and such simply to legitimize them as language above brands.
totipotentish said:
Interesting study. Any place I can find out more?
unrelatedtolife said:
Have a look at “Thinking, fast and slow” by Daniel Kahneman. It talks about this study and the way our mind works. I am reading the book right now. Fascinating!
seiberg said:
Indeed. That’s exactly what I’m reading! The post cites the book.
Jade Jarvis said:
Interesting post. I wonder if repeated auditory exposure to words has a similar effect. This could be a reason why “the n-word,” has become a term of endearment among certain groups.
annewhitaker said:
Re your ” I like small animals….” strapline – my late father used to drive me nuts when I was growing up in our small island community, by chanting “Mint sauce, mint sauce!” loudly at lambs in the Spring…..
Samantha said:
Wow, I never thought of it that way, but that makes perfect sense. Congrats on Freshly Pressed 🙂
Andreas Moser said:
If the Turkish word was “Döner”, it would make me happy as well.
susanportelance said:
Fascinating study. I also love your Northern Lights pic.
melvin quick said:
a desperate cry for help and the at risk kids need you!
Daniel Speraw said:
Interesting, thank you. I wonder if this could be adapted to better relationships.
seiberg said:
relationships… ah. I guess so and how elderly people who’ve been married feel.
Tangentially, I’ve also read about studies on happiness, where people who drive to work in the same direction as your significant other (not in the same car, or at same time) are happier than if they travel in opposite directions. I guess it’s nice if people are all going in the same direction!
Tar-Buns @ Here and ThereSa said:
I LOVE your header. Must be the northern lights, wherever you may be.
Beautiful! Congrats on being FPd!
seiberg said:
sorry, actually the image was just stolen from google! I’ve only ever seen a rather weak Northern Lights once… wish I was there to have seen this one!
candelacouture said:
i agree completely and i love your perspective! honestly, who doesnt know what coca-cola is? i think its now even programmed into the brain! anyway, great post!!
Do you mind stopping by my blog? Its new and i would really appreciate your opinion!
Thanks so much!!
seiberg said:
thanks for reading and the comment! I’ll definitely stop by!
khatarnok said:
Danger can be attractive, and that which is constantly dangerous is constantly exciting. Happiness linked to “posing no risk” sounds lazy, complacent, and middle-class.
seiberg said:
Thanks for the comment.
This is partly true for humans – for animals of course, laziness is the pinnacle of their goals. For humans, danger is exciting precisely because it is draws up our carnal animal natures – however, exciting and happiness are not really the same thing and furthermore I think danger can only be linked to happiness if our higher thought functions deem it safe (i.e. when danger is unlikely to become reality).
I doubt people in war-torn countries or victims of a murderer feel “happy” before their deaths… for the former, I argue that people may be happy in spite of their situation and definitely not because of it and for the latter, apart from that weird austrian guy a few years back, most could probably do without danger.
onestopbackpackers said:
Great argument, and cool post by the way! If you’re interested here’s the link for a pretty interesting(and fairly long), article on happiness a friend of mine sent me recently, always interesting stuff to read. http://www.success.com/articles/1795-why-happiness-matters
tetyanalive said:
very interesting, but rather scary – as this can be used to manipulate…
seiberg said:
it already is being used! I’m just hoping that since I’m now aware of it I won’t be too susceptible but I guess it’d be difficult to tell…
iconicallyrare said:
Another concept similar to what you describe is the element of repeating rituals. This is why kid’s find it so comforting to repeat the same behaviors prior to bedtime…and why it feels good to have rituals as part of our adult lives as well. Sometimes repeating the familiar feels like eating like mashed potatoes and gravy or hot cheddar macaroni and cheese–without all the fat and calories.
seiberg said:
interesting point that you make – i just wish i could do without the macaroni and cheese too!
righterskramp said:
That is true! Creating a brand is only the beginning for any product to be able to stay in the mainstream. In advertising, this association you talk of is understood to be the primary pull one has to a product or service. For example, people who use Tide detergent and see other people purchase Tide detergent in the store immediately feel a connection with the other person, whether it is a subconscious decision to feel that way or not. Other groups gather around their favorite product and celebrate together – the entertainment industry is well known for this, of course, but so are brands like Harley Davidson and Spam. Some people won’t get it – I don’t for the Spam thing, but they’e had an annual conference for 20+ years now and the crowd just gets bigger each year. The same thing for comic books, Star Trek, and other pop culture phenoms. With repetition and continuous exposure, the brand only grows and flows into more and more households, protecting itself and perpetuating its visibility in a world of constant change.
seiberg said:
it’s crazy how brands are so powerful these days… and how well we remember each brand’s logo and somehow feel more at ease with it.
what’s really crazy is that Google has somehow transcended logos. The google search page has constantly changing background images and yet still manages to be memorable. I’m still not quite sure how they do it!
yosephvera said:
nice post, thank you
seiberg said:
thank you!
drswatilodha said:
I completely agree with Familiarity concept. It works so well with children too who love repetition.Being a life transformation and parenting coach, I come across so many children who love the security of everything that is familiar-familiar jokes, familiar advertisements, familiar comic strips, familiar family anecdotes.I wish we parents also learn to love our routine and stop craving for change.
seiberg said:
I had never thought about that! I think we as adults crave change as that’s how we seem to mark progress – the mentality that if we’re not moving forwards, then we’re moving back, is almost all-pervasive.
Thanks for your comment.
wandt said:
I think this is also related to adaptation.
Do you mean somebody is happy with something because he used to it?
seiberg said:
well, when someone becomes used to something, it typically makes them happy yes. I guess it’s the same concept of souvenirs. People buy them to remind one of the past… the older such a keepsake is, the more attached to it we become.
fortyfoxes said:
Reblogged this on Emotional Diary.
a solemn punch said:
Nice one. Keep up the good work. Oops, congratulations for being freshly pressed.
Sumit said:
Interesting study…btw, loved the picture !!
Dubra said:
Interesting story! First story I’ve read on wordpress, so far so good.
varuni15 said:
wow! this is cool stuff and btw, congrats for being freshly pressed!
unrelatedtolife said:
I am reading Daniel Kahneman’s book now “Thinking, fast and slow” and it talks about this experiment and more. The book is very good. I am still digesting it and applying to my business strategy. But it is good from whichever point you look. Have a look at the book. After reading your post, i think you may like it (if you have not read it already), as what you say is in the book too 🙂 :). Thank you for the post. I truly enjoyed reading it and the comments.
seiberg said:
yup, me too! Excellent read but I’ve not had time to finish it yet!
unrelatedtolife said:
I have not finished it either (too much work lately), still digesting what I read 🙂 Amazing book!
prairiemuffins said:
AH! Nailed it like a freaking punch line. Good post!
Jasmine T. Cruz said:
This is really interesting! 🙂
dakrizzz said:
So interesting!
Be a model said:
A brilliant way to advertise then, stick your name everywhere! 🙂
seiberg said:
ha… i guess that’s pretty much what everyone does these days!
TheGuyLeftBehind said:
Great blog!
Please visit mine too! http://theguyleftbehind.wordpress.com/
Thank youuuu! More support!