Shows
BrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 118: We deal with heat the wrong wayCoping with heat waves: How to strengthen our bodies for summerDear readers, It is warm in Europe. Very warm. This is a golden opportunity for climate activists. But the left wing is also seizing the opportunity and calling for work to be suspended when temperatures reach 26 degrees Celsius. It is clear who they see as their main target group. An adequate solution could also be to demand more air conditioning. Since high temperatures are linked to sunshine, air conditioning would not only be people-friendly, but also climate-friendly. Even now, Germany is far from being...
2025-07-0109 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 117: Trump amazes us. Unfortunately - the consequences are scaryIn this BrainCandy, I deal with the fascination and overload that Donald Trump triggers as a personality. As someone who studies human behavior professionally, I show why conventional characterizations fail with Trump and how his seemingly chaotic demeanor is actually part of a deliberate media strategy.Trump specifically uses astonishment - one of my favorite strategies for effective brand communication - and uses it to tremendous effect in the media. Unfortunately, Trump's astonishment often has negative consequences for society.His yardstick is not so much political traditions as the rules of reality TV: provocations and...
2025-06-1108 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 116: The risk of risk aversionHave you ever wondered why we have more fears than ever before, even though we live in the safest time in human history?In the latest edition of BrainCandy, I explore this fascinating paradox. Discover why avoiding risk can actually lead to more fear and how the “peanut saga” teaches us a surprising lesson about resilience.Why is Generation Z particularly prone to the “risk avoidance trap”? With astonishing facts about why almost half of 16- to 29-year-olds are afraid of making phone calls and how young people's social behavior is fundamentally changing.This Bra...
2025-05-0814 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 115: New guidelines for alcohol consumption. Do we need warning labels?Is alcohol really the new smoking? Should we put warning labels on wine bottles? In my latest BrainCandy, I take a critical look at the current recommendations of the US Surgeon General on alcohol consumption. Professor Vinay Prasad, a renowned medical statistician and scientist, has analyzed underlying studies – with surprising results. Find out: - Why the evidence for “every drop is harmful” is scientifically shaky- Why alcohol is definitely not “the new smoking” As someone who enjoys a glass of wine themselves, I advocate a d...
2025-04-1018 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 114: How dangerous are fake-news really?Fake news is everywhere – but is it really as dangerous asis often claimed? In this episode of BrainCandy, we take a scientific look at the topic, question common narratives and examine whether fake news is actually dividing our society or whether its effect is being overestimated.Listen now!Shownotes: https://en.ka-brandresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/BrainCandy-114_How_dangerous_is_fake_news_really.pdf
2025-03-1408 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 112: New neuroscience reveals 4 secrets that will make you lose weightJust in time for the start of the new year, we are addressing a topic that concerns many of us: How can we sustainably improve our eating habits - without the frustration of dieting and giving things up?The latest neuroscientific findings show us a surprisingly simple way: mindfulness as the key to change. In this newsletter, you will learn how our brain evaluates rewards and how we can use these evaluations to our advantage.The method presented is five times more effective than previous standard therapies – and the best part: it works without the hassle of co...
2025-01-0913 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 110: Starbucks needs to cut the crap from its positioningWho hasn't experienced it? Your brand should stand for great
ideals, while your customers just want a good product. The attached article uses the example of Starbucks to show impressively how even successful companies can fall into the “moral trap”.
Mark Ritson, a former marketing professor, provides a
razor-sharp analysis of why Starbucks' lofty brand mission misses the mark when it comes to customers. In his experience, coffee comes first, then morals.
The insights are relevant, especially in times when
many companies are struggling with the balance between purpose and product promise.
14 minutes of l...
2024-11-2214 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 109: What really is the largest organ in our body? And what does that have to do with Healthspan?The dream of a long, healthy life: For decades, scientists
have been chasing a fascinating human dream: a longer life. In English, this concept is referred to as ‘lifespan’. But in recent years, an important realisation has emerged: What use is a longer life to us if we spend the
additional years sick and in need of care?
From lifespan to healthspan: Instead, a new and exciting
concept is now coming into focus: ‘healthspan’. This term describes the period of time in which we not only live longer, but above all healthier. It is about
enjoying the extra ye...
2024-10-1708 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 108: Mind-boggling decisions, how voters decide for candidatesIn today's politically heated times, many find it difficult
to understand how someone can vote for the “other side”. Democrats and Republicans seem to live in completely different worlds.
In my latest BrainCandy "Mind-boggling Decisions:
For many Americans, the idea that someone could vote for the other side's candidate is incomprehensible “ I get to the bottom of this phenomenon:
- Why do our political opponent's choices often seem
completely incomprehensible to us?
- What psychological mechanisms are behind it when we
dismiss the supporters of the other party as “crazy”?
- And wha...
2024-09-1210 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 107: We deal with heat the wrong way. At least most of us do.Coping with heatwaves: How to strengthen our bodies for the summer
Rising temperatures present us with new challenges. But
instead of just reacting passively, we can become active! In this article, you will learn how you can train your body to cope better with heat in just a few weeks.
Discover surprising findings from research and practical tips for heat acclimatisation. Learn how to increase your heat tolerance and thus not only cope with the summer, but also future heatwaves, more calmly. A must for anyone
who wants to get fit for the hot days!
2024-08-1408 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 106 How we are losing our children to the virtual world and jeopardising their mental healthForget horror movies, Jonathan Haidt's new book 'The Anxious Generation' is one of the scariest books I've ever read. We all know that our smartphones aren't really
good for us, but Jonathan Haidt lays out the real damage in such detail that it makes you want to look away and scroll through Instagram instead.
He argues that smartphones are addictive, disrupt sleep, fragment attention and deprive people of interaction with the real world. As if that wasn't bad enough, he scares us
by analyzing that the brains of teenagers who use smartphones with social media a...
2024-06-0608 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 105: Daniel Kahnemans Book Noise
The psychologist and Nobel Prize winner in economics
Daniel Kahneman died recently. Kahneman had a huge impact on how we at K&A understand human behaviour. And thus on how we can clear up the big say-do gap
between what people tell us they will do and how they actually behave.
Kahneman's death reminded me once again of his last important book, Noise, and in this BrainCandy I share with you the most important insights I gained from
the book.
2024-04-2414 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 105: Zentrale Erkenntnisse aus Daniel Kahnemans letztem Buch: NoiseVor kurzem starb der Psychologe und
Wirtschaftsnobelpreisträger Daniel Kahneman. Kahneman hat einen großen Einfluss darauf, wie wir bei K&A das menschliche Verhalten verstehen. Und damit darauf, wie wir das große Say-Do Gap zwischen dem, was Menschen uns sagen, wie sie sich verhalten werden und dem tatsächlichen Verhalten aufklären können.
Kahnemans Tod hat mich noch einmal an sein letztes wichtiges Buch, Noise, erinnert und ich erzähle Euch in diesem BrainCandy die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse, die ich von dem Buch gewonnen habe.
Show notes: https://ka-brandresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/BrainCandy-105_Daniel_Kahnemans_Noise.p...
2024-04-1817 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 104: The neglected science of less
In a world characterised by constant more, "The Untapped Science of Less" offers a refreshing perspective on the potential of subtraction. Based on Leidy Klotz's fascinating
work "Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less", this BrainCandy takes an entertaining dive into the neglect of subtraction as a tool for change - an area that is systematically overlooked in our society.
This article is not only a thought-provoking call to action for everyone in marketing, but also offers practical insights into how the principle of taking away can lead to
innovative, efficient and ultimately effective marketing strategies. It could f...
2024-03-2810 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 103: Super Bowl. Can we learn from the best commercials?This year's Super Bowl recorded the highest number of viewers ever and featured over 70 adverts. Can we learn from the best adverts? On the Monday morning after the event, rankings were published by reputable sources, including the famous USA Today Ad Meter, the Kellogg School of Management's
Super Bowl Advertising Review, as well as rankings from prestigious publications such as Forbes and the New York Times. Interestingly, these rankings showed little consistency, which may not be a particularly valuable insight for us marketers. But in my opinion, there are at least three spots that you should know about because...
2024-02-2208 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 102: We will all become boringI recently came across the essay "We will all become
boring" by bestselling author Louise Perry. And it has stayed with me ever since. Perry deals with the increasing loneliness in the modern Western world. She finds causes in liberal individualism and prosperity, among other things.
Her analysis is certainly gloomy - but she sees opportunities if we realize the impending consequences in good time and take active countermeasures.
For me, the essay is a perfect impulse for the new year and perhaps also a motivator for a good resolution. The year is still young. And it...
2024-01-1716 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 101: Strengthen your relationship - with these booksAt Christmas, we long not only for wonder and miracles, but
also for love. But the reality of love is complex and sometimes requires support. Social relationships have a significant impact on our well-being, health and even survival, with men benefiting even more than women.
Recently, the New York Times published a fascinating article
on this topic. The author interviewed 14 psychologists and therapists for book recommendations on couples issues. I was particularly impressed by the nuanced approach the article took in looking at advice books for different couple contexts. I have compiled the recommendations in this short
...
2023-12-1908 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 100: 'Awe' by Dacher Keltner - the transformative power of wonderIn this 100th edition of BrainCandy, we delve into the fascinating world of 'awe' as explored by Dacher Keltner in his exciting book. Let's discover together how this powerful feeling influences our perception and well-being, and how we can experience more of it. Christmas is the ideal time to take a closer look at
wonder. And perhaps also to find new motivation to look for more wow effects in marketing. Amazement works wonders.
Show notes: https://en.ka-brandresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/BrainCandy-100_Awe_by_Dacher_Keltner-the_transformative_power_of_wonder.pdf
2023-12-1106 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 99: The death of New Normal and Purpose ReligionYou almost feel like a traitor to the good cause when you
criticise the Purpose religious community of consultants, agencies and brands. How do I even come to this when consumers repeatedly emphasise in surveys how important the purpose of brands and companies is to them in their purchasing
decisions? In the meantime, the wall of the convinced is showing clear cracks.
Even when it comes to purpose, dreams don't really want to materialise. One reason for this is that naive survey results have nothing to do with behaviour. And that in some places there is an almost romanticised...
2023-11-1511 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 98: The Unmasking of Malice. The inside of human violence and cruelty
Recent events have motivated me to write about the topic of "evil". It may not be a really relevant topic for brand, marketing or self-management, unless you are interested in the supposed evil nature of all marketing activities.
A few hours before the terrorist attack on Israel, psychologist Rob Henderson published a summary of Professor Roy Baumeister's book Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty. For me, this was a real aha moment, as I have believed some myths about evil myself.
In this BrainCandy, I summarise the most important points, resisting the temptation to go directly into t...
2023-10-2517 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 97: Male psychology. Is the case closed?If you currently follow the discussion about male psychology in the media, this gender seems to like to be considered the cause of most current problems. Toxic
masculinity, patriarchy and of course the Old White Men are labels that are quickly held up. Even at elite universities, this currently seems to be a field
where many don't want to get their fingers burned by the zeitgeist.
Recently I read an interview between English psychologist Dr. John Barry, an expert in
male psychology, and the psychologists you are already familiar with, Rob Henderson. There were some insights there...
2023-10-0410 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 96: The billionaire evangelist for the 80/20 principleRichard Koch, a self-made billionaire and prominent proponent of the 80/20 principle, has written profoundly over the years about the effective application of this approach, also known as the Pareto principle. It is remarkable that someone with such a fortune would take the time to write such in-depth non-fiction.
This suggests that he not only understands the principle but also applies it masterfully. A recent interview with him on the Tim Ferriss Podcast impressed me. In BrainCandy I have summarised key insights from that podcast. For anyone returning from holiday fresh and motivated, Koch offers valuable inspiration for a more...
2023-09-1408 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 95: Why people behave more and more like NPCsIf people
are behaving more and more like bots on the web, then one of the drivers for
this behaviour is the attempt to possess the 'truth' in the information
overload in the simplest possible way. The blogger Gurwinder, who deals
with the interplay of technology and psychology in the attempt to deceive us,
has made an exciting typification and found an almost ingenious explanation for
the observable behaviour. His advice on how we ourselves can resist the
temptation to cultivate more bot-like behaviour is particularly helpful.
If you follow the typification, what does this m...
2023-09-0414 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 94: The secret of small talk in love and everyday life - and for brandsSmall talk is a widely underestimated form of getting to know people and maintaining relationships. Many intelligent people think that small talk is a waste of time.
But small talk plays a central role in how we are intuitively evaluated by others. This BrainCandy shows an exciting insight from science and in the second part gives a few tips on how to get more small talk practice. Maybe a good opportunity to try this out on holiday.
Have fun listening - 12 minutes well spent
Shownotes and links: https://en.ka-brandresearch.com/wp-content/uploads...
2023-08-1112 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 93: Mind reading - Is our thinking being decoded thanks to modern brain research?Mind reading - A look into the future of the mind
Since time immemorial, we humans have been fascinated by the idea of being able to read the minds of others. The idea of better understanding our partner's feelings and avoiding misunderstandings excites us. Recently, the topic has again attracted a lot of attention in the media due to new studies. And so-called neuromarketing also jumped on the bandwagon a long time ago. But what is really behind decoding people's secret thoughts via new methods? This BrainCandy gives a quick classification of the state of the art...
2023-07-1711 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 92: Dopamine is considered the happiness hormone. How do we get the best effect of dopamine on our mood?Dopamine, which is considered a happiness hormone, can
influence our mood. But we often intuitively misunderstand the mechanisms that
can lead to dopamine release. Neurologist Andrew Huberman recently published a
detailed explanation of how we can more reliably get dopamine releases. In this
exciting BrainCandy, I show you what I consider to be the most important
insight from his explanations. And it touches on no less than the question,
what role do goals and rewards play and what role does effort play in goal
achievement. Is the goal the goal or is it the path?
8 minutes of...
2023-06-2707 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 91: Bitch - what it means to be femaleMy last BrainCandy on egalitarian behaviour among hunter-gatherers was thematically
polarising, as egalitarian behaviour developed mainly among men, while at the
same time children and women were hierarchically less privileged.
In exchange, today as a counterbalance, the extremely entertaining book by British
Lucy Cooke, a renowned zoologist, who dedicates herself to male-dominated
zoological science and dismantles the many myths about female behaviour in the
animal kingdom with profound knowledge and extremely entertaining linguistic
wit.
In chapters bursting with x-rated facts, Cooke gleefully dispels one myth after
another about our wild sisters. Cooke recognises, "Females are...
2023-06-0508 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 90: Human beings are chronically conflicted animalsHuman beings are chronically conflicted animals. A few months ago I read a
long newsletter by the psychologist Rob Henderson that touched me deeply. Anthropology is not normally my
hobby. But the parallels to today's political discussions motivated me to share
the main points with the tribe of BrainCandy listeners. It explains why
Homo Sapiens has lived most of the time in an egalitarian and monogamous way.
And what the art of communication and killing has to do with it. And it
provides the background for the current political discussion, which promises a
seemingly egalitarian world view.
H...
2023-05-2314 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 89: The Illusion of Choice. 16,5 Psychological Biases That Influence What We BuyBrand consultant Richard Shotton is back with another masterclass in behavioural economics. In "The Illusion of Choice: 16½ Psychological Biases That Influence What We Buy", he reveals an irrational tendency in our behaviour in real-life contexts in each of the eighteen entertaining chapters. Especially with his many examples, he makes learning very entertaining. In the BrainCandy I give some tasty appetisers that are immediately applicable in brand work.
I've gotten a few copies of the book. Email me and take part in the draw for a free copy with #Illusion: r.ohnemus@ka-brandresearch.com
2023-04-2408 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 88: How do you assess brand health? Smart answers from the book Better Brand HealthA few weeks ago, the long-awaited new book by marketing professor Jenni Romaniuk was finally available: Better Brand Health. Already a bestseller with great international interest. In this BrainCandy, I have summarised the most important findings for me in a short and crisp way. And the topic fits particularly well into BrainCandy because Romaniuk's findings focus on how the brain stores brand knowledge and when it reactivates this knowledge. An episode for marketing and market research experts.
Have fun listening
2023-03-2408 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 87: Why are there more female singles? When men flounder, it's mainly women who are affected.What could be more exciting than human mate-seeking behaviour? I recently read a lengthy paper by psychologist Rob Henderson. He looked at the effects of different contexts on the behaviour of the sexes when looking for a partner. We like to assume that our behaviour is guided primarily by our inner standards. It is fascinating to understand how strongly our environment, our contexts influence our behaviour. And the dating game is no different. Enjoy listening.
Show notes: https://en.ka-brandresearch.com/braincandies/
2023-02-2415 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 86: What sticks with us from our Corona experience?Three years of Corona are now behind us. And the question arises, what has this done to us? What has changed in us? And how will this influence our behaviour in the future? A recent interview with Bamberg psychology professor Carbon motivated me to look into this topic again. After all, we want to understand to what extent we should respond to the Corona experience in our brand strategies. Just this much in advance: there is good news. Enjoy listening
2023-02-0810 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 85: How do you successfully implement good intentions - and is there potentially even a more effective approach to more good feelings in 2023What is a New Year's Eve without fireworks and a New Year without good resolutions? Unfortunately, new resolutions are only easy to imagine. Most of them almost certainly fail when it comes to putting them into practice. All you have to do is follow James Clear's brain-friendly tips from BrainCandy 63. Or you can choose a completely different approach: the Last Year Review by author and lifestyle guru Tim Ferriss. A tool that is as simple as it is powerful, and which should reliably lead to a year with more happiness than the lists of good resolutions. Have fun listening
2023-01-1008 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 84: How to increase feelings of happiness. What science has to sayAfter years of the pandemic, the now galloping inflation, the terrible war in the East, we should all be longing for more feelings of happiness in our everyday lives. A podcast by the neurologist Huberman, who deals with the latest findings of happiness research and recommends tools with which we can consciously increase our sense of happiness, comes at just the right time. I'll summarise his key points here as succinctly as possible. As a little nudge to get involved with the topic and become active.
Enjoy listening and good suggestions for the hopefully contemplative and beautiful...
2022-12-1912 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No 83: Life is too short for time management. Our perception of productivity leads to a dead endAre you still trying to manage time? The New York Times bestseller '4000 Weeks' concludes that with the leading time management systems we try to squeeze far too much into our time. In the process, we lose sight of what is really really important to us. The author, Oliver Burkeman, wittily and entertainingly demonstrates how we should better counter the pressure for efficiency. And thus make more out of our incredibly short lives. One with only 4000 weeks. A good topic for the coming reflective days.
2022-12-0708 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 82: Between the mid-30s and 50s, our intellectual capacity declines significantly. Fact! Is there still hope?Our intelligence declines much sooner than we ourselves can perceive. Harvard professor Arthur C. Brooks takes no prisoners in his new bestseller. It almost hurts at first to deal with his many examples. When you have to realise that even Nobel Prize winners don't usualy make any great discoveries after their fiftieth birthday. But - his book is also a self-help book and it is very worthwhile to read the second encouraging part carefully. Even if you yourself are perhaps (still) at the peak of your creative powers.
2022-11-1610 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No 81: Split the Pie. An exciting new way of negotiatingNegotiations get on your nerves?
With a quite clever method you get the maximum for you AND your negotiating partner - fairly and comprehensibly.
Who doesn't know them: Tough, laborious negotiations in which no common denominator can be found and each side insists on its position. Barry Nalebuff suggests a different, amazingly simple method: Define the profit pie and share it fairly.
Actually too simple to be true? But listen for yourself how this works in practice. Among others in real negotiations between Coca Cola and a much smaller company.
Show n...
2022-10-0608 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No 80: How to improve focus and concetration. According to scienceWhen the proverbial bear is roaring around you - how do you manage to reliably increase your own focus and concentration? Science helps with up-to-date tips. I have prepared my notes from a long podcast by neurologist Huberman for you here. Have fun trying them out.
And one more piece of information on my own behalf. I'm going on holiday for a few weeks in the next few days. I have asked my colleague Andreas Putz to write a BrainCandy about a book that has fascinated me. It's about a new negotiation method: Split t...
2022-09-2510 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 79: Luxury Beliefs. The new elitist means for distancing oneself from the the massesSome time ago, Rob Henderson came to my attention. Henderson is a doctoral student in psychology at Cambridge and studied psychology at Yale before that. He runs a very good blog on Substack. Most of it as premium content. A promising young scientist. Henderson has a very unusual CV and develops exciting ideas. Like the insight of Luxury Beliefs.
Luxury Beliefs are ideas and opinions that confer status on the upper class while often imposing costs on the lower class. His article on these Luxury Beliefs has attracted a lot of attention.
In this short p...
2022-08-3009 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 78: The disaster news just won't go away. Time for more mental healthWhat does it do to us when we are caught incessantly by disaster headlines? A respected journalist explains to us how she herself deals with this problem and what journalism could do to report on the disasters on the one hand, but at the same time better value people as processors of news. Exciting insights with good recommendations for our mental health. Enjoy reading and empathise.
Link to the original article of Amanda Ripley:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/08/how-to-fix-news-media/
2022-08-1009 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 78: Die Katastrophennachrichten wollen einfach nicht abreißen. Zeit für mehr mentale GesundheitWas macht es mit uns, wenn wir unablässig von Katastrophenschlagzeilen erwischt werden? Eine angesehene Redakteurin erklärt uns, wie sie selbst mit diesem Problem umgeht und was der Journalismus tun könnte, um einerseits über die Katastrophen zu berichten, aber gleichzeitig den Menschen als Nachrichtenverarbeiter besser wertzuschätzen. Spannende Einsichten mit guten Empfehlungen für unsere mentale Gesundheit. Viel Spaß beim Lesen und mitfühlen.
Länge 12 Minuten
Link zum Artikel von Amanda Ripley https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/08/how-to-fix-news-media/
2022-08-0511 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 77: The linearity bias hinders the transformation of GermanyToday I serve my listeners a harder nut to crack. It is obvious to more and more citizens that the republic urgently needs to transform itself. This is also being addressed. But well intended is not yet well done. I experience that the linearity bias, which makes evolutionary sense, is likely to lead us straight into massive problems. The 10 minutes of listening time are well invested in being able to better recognise the effect.
Show notes: https://en.ka-brandresearch.com/wir-verstaerken-marken/#accordion-braincandies
2022-07-2010 min
BrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 75: The Three Word Brief. And Why it is FameOne of the most experienced and successful marketing bloggers in the world, Bob Hoffman, just delighted me with one of his latest essays. He took on the topic of what role brands really play in consumers' lives and how people actually make most purchasing decisions. It follows, for him, that fame must be the central goal of advertising for brand success. Bob knocked down wide open doors with me, and that gave me the idea to let him speak directly to you himself. This BrainCandy summarizes his central statements. I myself have added a central point at the end, w...
2022-05-0411 min
BrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 73: The 'holy' war between ingroup vs. outgroup prevents much-needed scientific discourse in pandemic responseWe hear a lot about the anger of the vaccinated over the unvaccinated. It occurred to me only a few months ago that we are dealing with an ingroup versus outgroup phenomenon. Namely, a very powerful positional 'war' that is preventing a fruitful synthesis process. I hope this is really my last BrainCandy on Corona, but it is worthwhile once again to shed some behavioral scientific light on this camp war - and thus finally give more space to the search for truth and real insights.
Stay healthy and asymptomatic
2022-01-2417 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 72: Did you know Substack? No? Then it's time to change thatCancel Culture is a relatively new phenomenon. Notoriously, the major social networks delete content that is harmful to society on the one hand, but also too often prevent valuable scientific discourse in the process. Simply because they contradict the current prevailing opinion. A few months ago, my attention was drawn to the Substack platform. According to their own statement, the place for great authors, without Cancel Culture. I really like it on this platform. In this BrainCandy, I explain why and show you a few authors I love to follow. Have fun discovering them. Here are the links:
2021-12-2006 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 71: The bestseller Nudge has been re-released - with Sludge in tow. An exciting bookWith 'Nudge' one of the most important books in behavioral science has been re-published and extended by important topics. The result is a book that is well worth reading. And a new buzzword that will certainly enter the management language: Sludge. You can never know enough about human behavior - and especially about how to get people to make better decisions for themselves. Learn more in this short podcast
2021-11-1708 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 70: Ending the world? How neuropsychology helps us become more resilientRecently, I was able to listen to a powerful lecture by Prof. Dr. Maren Urner on 3Sat a German TV station. She researches media psychology at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne. Prof. Urner explains in a comprehensible way why we all have a far too negative image of the world. It's all about the information overload of the media, which encounters an evolutionarily outdated processing system in the brain. But neuropsychology can help us acquire a higher level of resilience and thus more joy in life. In this BrainCandy, I have summarized what I consider to be...
2021-09-0907 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 69: How do you get the budgets for long-term brand building? Seven tips!It's relatively easy to get budgets for short-term marketing campaigns.
But how do you argue if you want to build your brand in the long term?
The internationally renowned marketing expert, Mark Ritson, has tackled the question and put together a really good, tried and tested guide.
I have summarised it for you and added a very recent example that also shows how important brand building is for the long-term profitability of the brand / company.
And that ROI-based brand actionism does not lead to building strong brands. Even if the CFO...
2021-08-2610 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 68: Daniel Kahneman identifies a new cause for human errorThe famous psychologist, Nobel Prize winner and best-selling author Daniel Kahneman has just published his latest work. Together with professors Sibony and Sunstein (Nudge), he takes care of an important human decision-making error. This time it's not about the downright entertaining biases, i.e. the automatic thinking errors / rules of thumb that explain non-rational behaviour, but about a hitherto largely underestimated phenomenon of human decisions. It is about noise, that is, noise that one recognises, for example, when experts assess certain facts completely differently, although one would expect them to come to the same conclusions. These are really new...
2021-07-1211 minBrainCandy English"The 10 Biggest Marketing Stupidities of All Time!" No, not a click bait. It's serious. But entertaining.Internationally known marketing expert, Mark Ritson, recently published his crowd-sourced Top 10 Marketing Bullshit list. On the one hand, it's great fun - if only some of it wasn't real crap and can actually prevent marketing from working successfully. In his list, it actually caught not only brands, but also thinking models we're all familiar with that can lead to dead ends with momentum. And yes, I have sacrificed quite a bit of time to some of these thought models as well. Even experts are not free from error 😉
2021-06-0113 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 66: Do we need a Ministry of Common Sense?If you look to Berlin at the moment, some people wish that common sense would finally rain down from the sky. But it's not just politics, companies also seem to be becoming less and less humane and instead are drawing up ever more detailed rules for action that can drive not only employees but also customers crazy.
I just came across the latest book by international consultant Martin Lindstrom and the topic caught me right away. He wants to motivate companies to establish a Ministry of Common Sense. What an exciting idea. In this...
2021-04-0808 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 65: In the next 10 years, our economy, our lives will change more rapidly than in the last 100 years. Are you already preparedWe always overestimate the changes that are supposed to happen over the next two years, But we underestimate the change that happens over the next ten years." Bill Gates.
I was fascinated by Frank Thelen's new book. I'm a self-confessed technophile and find tech developments really exciting, and Thelen is a competent insider, startup investor and known to many from his time as an investor on Höhle der Löwen (Dragons' Den/Shark Tank). Entertaining and highly knowledgeable, Thelen describes the major technological developments and why their effectiveness must develop exponentially over the ne...
2021-03-1712 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 64: Wie Deutschland mit Mittelalter-Methoden Corona bekämpft.Und warum das so wenigen auffällt. Und warum ein Schweizer Käse unser Denken beflügeln würde.
60% der Bevölkerung sind mit dem Regierungshandeln in Sachen Corona zufrieden. Ich erkenne an zu vielen Stellen starkes Politikversagen. Spannend aber finde ich, dass die Schwächen des politischen Handelns und das Nichterkennen der Bevölkerungsmehrheit auf typische ‚Fehler‘ unseres Gehirns zurück geführt werden können. Manche Experten schlagen deshalb vor, die Komplexität der Pandemie mit einer Schweizer Käse Strategie zu bekämpfen. :-) Mehr dazu im BrainCandy. Stichwort Komplexität: Dieses BrainCandy ist deutlich länger aus...
2021-01-2049 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 63: Most fail with their new resolutions. Find out how to achieve more success with small steps.When we make a firm resolution to change a behavior, we do it consciously and
with a lot of motivation in our System 2 (Kahneman).
However, we naturally want to create a behavior change in our autopilot (System 1), and we consciously try to force that and 92% fail with it.
This BrainCandy provides important guidance - and refrains from leading you astray with the lifestyle media's 'ten best tips for your resolutions'.
Use this short BrainCandy. It works.
Take good care of yourself – and if you can, take care of somebody else
2021-01-1411 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 62: Happiness - we need more moments of happiness. What does science say?The new lockdowns across Europe are a very bad threat to our mental health. We can and should do more for our mental wellbeing. There is one thing of particular power to help us get through lockdowns in better shape. What that is will be explained in this short podcast. Stay well.
Transcript: https://ka-brandresearch.com#brain-candy
2020-11-1308 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy No. 61: Why the context overcomes your personality – and you don't even realise itWhen we watch the behavior of others we automatically make a character judgement. As if life was a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) affair. We simply don't realise the big impact of the situation, the real live context. Most often context has a far bigger influence on our behavior than our treasured personality / character. This podcast uses many entertaining examples to make you more aware of the hidden workings of contexts. And how one could limit the power of context.
Listening time about 13 minutes.
Script: https://ka-brandresearch.com#brain-candy
2020-09-2313 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 60: Lock downs were supposedly necessary. But were they really effective? And are talks about second waves grounded in science?Right now, it is spoken a lot about a second wave and a possible new lockdown is threatened. Despite that there is already great fear among people.
But has the first lockdown realy made a difference – beyond Social Distancing?
In this new BrainCandy, I talk about what we can learn from the better than feared infection rates with good data analysis.
There are so far underestimated drivers. And why this should give hope for the absence of a real second wave.
At the end I give a hint on what companies shou...
2020-08-2619 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 59: Will there be a NEW normal or a new NORMALOur monkey minds expects that our behavior past Corona will be changed, a lot. Many consultants jump on the band waggon and push brands to change or die. Listen to this podcast where I'm going to explain why behavioral economics and psychology suggest that a new NORMAL is the most likely situation past Corona.
2020-06-2112 minBrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 57: Coronavirus: consultants present themselves as pornographers of change“You have to respond immediately, because your customers are changing forever.” A claim which is as plausible as it is wrong. Just listen to my 10 minute rant to find out why
2020-05-1210 min
BrainCandy EnglishBrainCandy 58: The fatal trend: brand hyperactivity, sugarcoated with purpose porn.It’s only a matter of time before it gets on the nerves of the target groups. Why it's becoming an ever less attractive idea to focus on Corona related brand messages is being discussed in this BrainCandy
2020-05-0808 min