Engineering of Consent: A Recap Bernay’s first foray into the formulation of the “engineering of consent” construct was published in essay form in 1947. He defined the engineering of consent as the art of manipulating the public who he contended “…were fundamentally irrational…who could not be trusted.” He masterfully linked ideas and products to their unconscious desires which Ernest Dichter, the father of motivational research, referred to as the secret-self of the American consumer. ... Continue Reading

Oxytocin The neurochemical of pair-bonding, love, and trust which mediates financial decisions, and most others as well, is a mammalian hormone and neuromodulator called oxytocin. French scientist Vincent du Vigneaud was fast tracked for the Nobel Prize in 1955 just two years after he synthesized oxytocin in his laboratory. Oxytocin is inexorably intertwined with our cognitive functioning even when we think it isn’t. Our “brain chemicals” are always operating, and in force. We need to keep in ... Continue Reading

Science Rules! Fantastic developments in neuroscience, behavioral finance, and neuroeconomics have occurred during the past thirty plus years. Brain chemistry and money behavior are inexorably in synch! Emotions and brain chemistry mediate everything that happens within us, between us (our relationships), and everything that we do. We are a marvelous combination of feelings, brains, and actions. As shareholders we need to appreciate the “scientific facts of life:” within ourselves, our ... Continue Reading