The neuroscience of brand perception, mirror neurons, and emotional memory creation.
“People will forget what you said.
People will forget what you did.
But people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
[WARNING: Game of Thrones Season 6 Ep "The Door" Spoiler Alert in this article]
In our previous segment, "How to: Sell more, aka the surprising thing that helps get customers," we covered the power of emotion: to sell, you have to move people, connect with their emotions, and build a relationship. Now, we dive deeper. How do you create that connection with your customers? How do you craft a brand that sticks? Through storytelling.
The power of storytelling isn't a new concept, nor is its use in marketing and growth. That's because stories affect us in significant ways.
How else can a character with just one line in the script of a show with 50+ episodes bring us to tears? We're talking about none other than Hodor.
Not only do stories affect our thoughts, but they also have the power to alter our actions. Let's explore the ways in which stories impact our brain.
"His long fingernails scraped across the chalkboard."
"I could feel the spider crawling up the back of my neck."
Did you cringe while reading those sentences? Why?
About 20+ years ago in Italy, a neuroscientist and his team were studying motor movements in monkeys. By accident, they found that the neurons that fired up when a monkey reached for food also fired up when someone else reached for food. This discovery of mirror neurons showed that our brains allow us to experience the emotions of another person.
This study was further validated by research at Princeton University, which found that the same areas of the brain in the storyteller and listener light up during narrative sharing:
“When the woman spoke English, the volunteers understood her story, and their brains synchronized. When she had activity in her insula, an emotional brain region, the listeners did too. When her frontal cortex lit up, so did theirs. By simply telling a story, the woman could plant ideas, thoughts, and emotions into the listeners’ brains.” — Uri Hasson, Neuroscientist at Princeton
When these associations are repeated, communication between neurons strengthens from a dirt road to a paved interstate highway. Dr. Eric Kandel showed that these changes are physically cemented in the brain. Every time a consumer hears about your brand, an association is formed. Taking control of your brand story ensures that association is positive.
Why not just share facts?
When a brain hears facts, Broca's and Wernicke's areas (the regions that process language) light up. However, when the brain hears a story, every part of the brain involved in an experience activates—including the sensory cortex, frontal cortex, and pre-frontal cortex. This is why stories stick in memory far longer than raw data.
When we experience an emotional event, the amygdala releases dopamine during pleasant experiences. Researchers found that the amygdala lit up and released dopamine when subjects looked at faces compared to inanimate furniture.
“When the brain detects an emotionally charged event, the Amygdala releases dopamine into the system. Because dopamine greatly aids memory and information processing, you could say it creates a ‘Post-it’ note that reads ‘Remember this’.” — John Medina, Molecular Biologist & Author
If your brand story and content carry emotional relevance, they cut through daily consumer distractions, build positive associations, and remain memorable.
Every touchpoint with your potential customer should be curated with Maya Angelou's words in mind. What do you want others to remember your brand as?