Nudge Can you see the invisible gorilla?
21 snips
Jan 20, 2025 The podcast dives into the famous Invisible Gorilla experiment, revealing how people often miss unexpected events when focused on a task. Listeners participate in an audio version, experiencing inattentional blindness firsthand. It discusses perceptual blind spots, using the tragic collision of ships to highlight the impact on decision-making. Memory distortion's effect on marketing is also examined, showcasing how repeated exposure enhances consumer recall. Overall, it reveals surprising insights about attention and memory in everyday life and marketing.
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Inattentional Blindness
- People miss unexpected events, even obvious ones, and are shocked when shown what they overlooked.
- This reveals our flawed intuition about our awareness, assuming we'd notice important things.
Hands-Free Hazard
- Hands-free phone calls triple the likelihood of missing unexpected events, like a gorilla, compared to just a visual task.
- Drivers falsely believe hands-free calling doesn't affect driving because they can stay on the road, but miss crucial events.
Joshua Bell's Subway Experiment
- World-renowned violinist Joshua Bell busked in a D.C. subway and was largely ignored, earning only $32.
- This demonstrates that even extraordinary events can be missed if unexpected, as commuters weren't looking for a famous musician.
