The PsyCreative Column

  Neuromarketing is a field of study that has gained significant attention in recent years due to its potential to provide insights into consumer behaviour and preferences. This interdisciplinary field combines principles from neuroscience, psychology, and marketing to understand how the human brain responds to marketing stimuli and how these responses influence consumer decision-making.  One of the fundamental principles of this field is the concept of consumer decision-making. This process involves several stages, including problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase evaluation. Neuromarketing delves into the neurological and psychological mechanisms that underlie each of these stages, providing valuable insights into the factors that influence consumer choices. Moreover, consumer psychology emphasizes the role of emotions and cognitive biases in shaping consumer behavior. Emotions play a significant role in decis...

  Have you ever gone to a salon for a simple haircut and ended up paying almost twice or thrice more than what your male counterpart did for his fancier, more intricate style cut? Or have you ever just had to pay more for a different colour of the exact same product be it a pink top, razor or even a basic pink bottle of shampoo. Chances are that almost all of you must have encountered this at least once. So why does this happen? Maybe because shades of pink are so soothing and pleasing that it simply deserves the extra 500? Or maybe because it is a way of perpetuating the centuries-old financial inequalities that exist between men and women. This phenomenon of overcharging seemingly “feminine products” has been hidden under an alluring name called the pink tax. The pink tax is a discriminatory practice wherein products that are directed more exclusively towards women are costlier than those for men. Plainly, things associated with women are of a higher price. This can include cloth...

Capitalism has been around since the 1800s. Yeah, it’s old. You’d think it would have died out by now or something, but it seems to be wanting to stick around. And why not? It’s worked well for us. Not like communism, with all its oppression and revolution inducing tendencies. How much drama can one ideology possibly create? We’re so much better off with capitalism. Even though capitalism has worked for us, it still has its drawbacks, which don’t tend to come up naturally in conversation. This is why Karl Marx developed a theory to talk about it, called Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis. Nah, not really. He called it Marxism. Marxism recognized the vast yet overlooked gap between the working class and the ruling class, and allowed the analysis of the true impact of the Bourgeoisie (a word for the ruling class that needed to be as pretentious as them), on the labourers – or Proletariats. The exploitation of the working class places a heavy burden on them, which results in something calle...

  In the vast landscape of consumer behaviour, the journey from problem recognition to post-purchase evaluation is a complex odyssey governed by multiple factors. Understanding this expedition not only unveils the intricacies of consumer decision-making but also provides a roadmap for businesses to navigate the delicate terrain of brand perception and loyalty. The journey begins with problem recognition, where consumers identify a need or a problem. This could be as simple as realising they need a new pair of running shoes or as complex as recognizing a gap in their lifestyle that a product could fill. Here, external stimuli and internal triggers prompt consumers to embark on the path of exploration. The exploration stage is marked by extensive research and information gathering. In our digital age, consumers delve into online reviews, compare prices, and seek recommendations from peers. The factors influencing this stage are manifold – product reviews, brand reputation, and the cl...

  “ The Scream” by Edvard Munch portrays the panic of being frightened and full of anxiety, and many people with mental illness will recognize the feelings of isolation, loneliness and despair in the face of the woman. "One must have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche Does suffering and emotional instability fuel artistic inspiration? Creativity is often defined as the ability to generate unique and valuable ideas or solutions. Mental illness, on the other hand, refers to a wide range of conditions that affect a person's thinking, mood, and behavior. The connection between creativity and mental illness has been a topic of interest among researchers and scholars. While creativity is often associated with traits such as innovation and originality, there is also evidence suggesting a link between certain mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and heightened creative abilities. It is important to...