The Effect of Noise on the Brain

The ability to identify and interpret sounds is a vital aspect of human existence, shaping how individuals interact with the world around them. Sound can be both comforting and distracting, encompassing a wide spectrum of experiences. For this reason, understanding the impact of sound in marketing can be a game-changer, as it allows businesses to create more immersive experiences for customers and foster an emotional connection.

Moreover, sound can help guide consumer behavior, enhancing their experience with a brand or product. Melina Palmer emphasizes the significance of sound on human emotions and interactions, and how it can be harnessed in marketing to influence buying behavior. Analyzing the journey of sound waves as they travel from the eardrum to the brain, she identifies music as a particularly powerful element of sound, with the unique ability to provoke strong physical and emotional reactions.

Discover the crucial role of hearing in successful marketing campaigns.

• Learn how music can effectively steer consumer choices.
• Uncover the remarkable influence of jingles on brand loyalty.
• Find out why sound can create different perceptions of price.
• Celebrate the milestone 300th episode and show appreciation to our loyal listeners.

• 00:00:00 - Introduction, Melina Palmer celebrates the podcast's 300 episode milestone (woo!) and explains about these refreshed episodes on senses. This episode discusses the sense of hearing and complements Melina's conversation with Jonah Berger (coming this Friday in episode 301), where they talk about his new book, Magic Words.
• 00:03:22 - How We Hear, Melina explains how sound waves turn into physical vibrations, which then stimulate tiny hairs in the ear that move molecules around and send signals to the brain for interpretation. The brain interprets the signals and determines what we're hearing.
• 00:08:12 - The Power of Sound, Sound has a significant impact on our ability to focus and perform. Noise-canceling headphones can help block out distractions, allowing people to focus better. Music is also powerful and can impact our bodies physically and emotionally.
• 00:11:14 - Music and the Brain, Humans are unique in their ability to understand, predict and interpret music. Music releases chemicals in the brain that can make people feel good or bad. It can also help people heal, as seen in studies with Parkinson's patients and those with brain injuries.
• 00:15:38 - Sound in Business, Atmospherics, including sounds, can be used in marketing to trigger emotional states that influence buying behavior. Restaurants can play faster music to turn over more clientele, while slower music can make people stay longer and buy more.
• 00:17:20 - Importance of Music in Stores, Studies show that stores need to carefully select brand-matching music to encourage shoppers to stay longer. Music that fit the brand persona increased time in store and the amount purchased. Familiar music may seem to make people stay longer, but in reality, it's the unknown music that has the increase.
• 00:19:31 - The Power of Jingles, Sound has a strong connection to memory, emotion, and behavior. Jingles associate brands into our brains in a different way than words or images. Little changes in sound can make a big difference.
• 00:23:06 - The Impact of Sound on Podcasts, The sound on the podcast intro and outro helps people relate to the host. The right voice, vocal inflection, and even smiling while talking can change the podcast experience. Sound is everything leading up to the sale conversation.
• 00:25:00 - Sound Impact on Pricing, The way a number is sounded out can impact the perception of price size. Some vowels give off the perception of being bigger than others, and this translates to a bigger price in the brain. This impact can happen even when prices are not heard or spoken.
• 00:29:48 - Thank You and Resources, Melina thanks listeners for 300 episodes and celebrates the mostly audio show with an episode on The Sense of Hearing. Resources, related past episodes, books, and articles are available in the show notes. What stuck with you while listening to the episode? What are you going to try? Come share it with Melina on social media -- you'll find her as @thebrainybiz everywhere and as Melina Palmer on LinkedIn.

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Check out and get your copies of Melina’s Books. 

Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode:

• Evolutionary Ideas, by Sam Tatam
• What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You, by Melina Palmer
• Marketing to Mindstates, by Will Leach
• Alchemy, by Rory Sutherland
• Magic Words, by Jonah Berger

Top Recommended Next Episode: The Top 5 Wording Mistakes Businesses Make (ep 2)

Already Heard That One? Try These: 

• Priming (ep 252)
• Sight (ep 24)
• Touch (ep 28)
• Taste (ep 26)
• Smell (ep 298)
• Loss Aversion (ep 9)
• Herding (ep 264)
• Change Management: It’s Still Not About The Cookie (ep 226)
• Your Guide to Create a Brainy Brand (ep 230)
• Rebrand, Refresh, or Reinforce? (ep 44)
• What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You (ep 147)
• Evolutionary Ideas with Sam Tatam (ep 203)
• Mirror Neurons (ep 31)

Other Important Links: 

• Brainy Bites - Melina’s LinkedIn Newsletter
• How Do We Hear?
• Hearing & Balance: Crash Course A&P #17
• Beats by Dre goes ‘Above the Noise’ with Olympic athletes in latest campaign
• Beats by Dre x Colin Kaepernick Hear What You Want Commercial
• Explained
• Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You – Loop Pedal Version
• Atmospherics as a Marketing Tool
• The Effects of Background Music on Consumer Responses in a High-end Supermarket
• The Impact of Music on Consumers’ Reactions to Waiting for Services
• 10 Iconic Horror Theme Songs Are Emotionally Different with a Major Key Change
• Mrs Doubtfire Recut as a Horror Movie
• The Shining (happy version)
• Small Sounds, Big Deals: Phonetic Symbolism Effects in Pricing