What musical instrument was invented to sound like a human singing?
What was the first toy advertised on TV?
Hmmm …those are interesting questions…
Do people enjoy something even more if there is a bit of anticipation? That was the question University of Chicago economist George Loewenstein delved into with his 1987 study. He asked 30 students how much they would pay to immediately experience five different outcomes, some good and some bad. (The chance to obtain a kiss from a movie star was on the ‘good’ list!) And, would these students pay more if they could delay the outcome for a day? Or two?
The students consistently said they would pay extra if they could wait a day before consuming the outcome. They wanted to boost their pleasure by opting for a deferral.
Anticipation and curiosity will often spur the flow of “rewards” in our brains. The more sense of anticipation you build into your writing, presentations, speeches, etc., the stronger your audience’s urge is to keep reading/listening. (Source: Writing for Impact by Bill Birchard)
An added benefit: the heightened anticipation and curiosity about a topic creates a memory halo effect. It helps your audience remember everything else you are sharing, too.
So, the next time you are sharing a story or creating a presentation, work in some questions or facts to pique your audience’s curiosity.
Oh, and before I forget… the first toy to be advertised on television was Mr. Potato Head! The instrument invented to sound like a human singing was a violin.
What Is the definition of Pareidolia?
What is Pareidolia?
Pareidolia (pronounced par-i-DOH-lee-a) refers to seeing familiar patterns, especially faces, in random or ambiguous visual stimuli. Examples might include seeing faces in clouds or recognizing shapes in rock formations.
Our brains are wired to recognize faces, so this phenomenon likely benefited our ancestors. Seeing patterns would serve as a survival mechanism, helping them identify threats and faces in the natural world.
Here are some examples of pareidolia. Are you familiar with this word? (Huge thanks to David Ketchen for this posting idea!!)
A MUCH-NEEDED LAUGH!
INSPIRATION
As volunteer Jackie Poppe was leading shelter dog Sienna around the Friends of Campbell County Animal Control’s adoption event, something unexpected happened. Sienna pulled Jackie toward a man on the edge of the meeting space.
She approached Josh Davis, put her paw on him, and refused to leave. Jackie tried to pull on her leash, but Sienna wouldn't budge.
"She got all excited and she put her paw on my chest and everything," said Davis. "And I was like, 'Whoa.' I was like, 'What's going on?'"
Sienna was the only one who realized Josh was having a medical emergency. As soon as the dog wouldn’t budge, Josh’s wife, Kristen, turned to look at her husband. When she looked into his eyes, she realized he was having a series of minor seizures. Josh had forgotten to take his epilepsy medication that morning and was having a medical emergency.
Sienna was not trained to detect medical conditions, yet she knew.
"It looked like something you'd see in the movies," said Kristen Davis. "She kept putting her paw up on his leg, and like, 'Hey, are you paying attention to me? I'm trying to talk to you.' We were all kind of standing around, like, 'Did that just happen?'"
While the Davis family would have loved to have adopted her, they had three other rescue dogs at home. As soon as this story was shared on the shelter’s Facebook page, adoption applications poured in for Sienna.
Sharon Sweeney had submitted an application before the event, and she became the lucky new owner of Sienna. Sienna went home with Sharon that week!
“Don’t overlook the stray dog that’s in your local shelter,” said volunteer Jackie Poppe. “All of them have amazing traits about them.”
(Quotes courtesy of a Good Morning America article.)
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