Mind Games & Brain Frames
Before a new movie is released, the studio floods social media with teaser trailers and posters to make audiences more likely to watch it.
What is priming?
Those anti-smoking ads that show blackened lungs or a person speaking through a hole in their throat are designed to make people change their behavior using this emotion.
What is fear appeal?
You visit a coffee shop, and the barista gives you a free sample of a new drink. Later, you feel guilty not buying something.
What is reciprocity?
A travel booking website shows a fake countdown timer claiming that only "2 rooms left at this price!", pressuring customers to book immediately—even though the number resets when the page is refreshed.
What is a dark nudge?
“Should we use AI to make ultra-realistic fake videos of celebrities?” is a debate about this branch of philosophy.
What is ethics?
A celebrity interviewer asks, “Wouldn’t you agree that this album is your best work yet?” instead of “How do you feel about your new album?”
What is a single-chute question?
You see someone drop their phone on the subway, and instead of helping, you think, “Well, maybe they were careless. That’s on them.”
What is the just-world hypothesis?
A streaming service offers you a $100 premium plan, but when you say no, they offer a $15 “basic” plan that suddenly seems reasonable.
What is DITF?
A grocery store puts healthy snacks at checkout instead of candy, making them the easier choice.
What is choice architecture?
The American Psychological Association and the British Psychological Society created rules to protect these people in research.
What are human participants?
Ever scroll through TikTok, see a quick life hack, and then blindly try it without checking if it actually works? Your brain is choosing efficiency over accuracy.
What is cognitive miser?
Your favorite influencer posts about a new skincare brand, and suddenly, everyone on Instagram is using it. Now you feel like you should buy it too.
What is social proof?
Apple Watch users who close their rings every single day feel obligated to keep going because of this psychological principle.
What is commitment and consistency?
Ever tried to cancel a gym membership online, only to find out you have to call, email, and sign a form? That’s this persuasion trick at work.
What is sludge?
A researcher changes how much caffeine students drink to see if it affects their test scores. The caffeine amount is this type of variable.
What is an independent variable?
You go to a restaurant, glance at a menu with way too many options, and just pick something that looks “good enough” instead of the best choice.
What is satisficing?
Remember when "Wordle" blew up, and suddenly everyone was posting their daily scores? That game became addictive because it tapped into this psychological effect.
What is novelty & curiosity?
A student asks a friend to sign a petition for cleaner school bathrooms. A week later, they ask the same friend to attend a full rally.
What is FITD?
Instagram’s “Most Popular Posts” feed makes people more likely to like, share, and comment on those posts.
What is social proof (nudge)?
A sleep study finds that getting 8 hours of sleep helps memory, but since all subjects were students, we can’t say it applies to everyone.
What is external validity/generalizability?
Every election season, the media keeps focusing on one big issue (like gas prices or student loans), making the public think it's the most important problem.
What is agenda-setting?
A fast-food restaurant removes trays from the dining area, making it harder for customers to carry multiple unhealthy items at once, subtly steering them toward ordering less. They have increased this.
What is behavioral friction?
A YouTuber gets people to click “Subscribe” by first getting them to comment, making them feel committed to following the channel.
What is commitment & consistency?
A phone company pre-checks the box to add phone insurance when you buy a new phone, making people less likely to uncheck it.
What is a default nudge?
A study on music and mood accidentally picks all participants who already love music, creating this kind of problem in the experiment.
What is a confounding variable?