Misery is not miserly

New research has found that sadness increases the amount of money people are prepared to pay for a commodity. In an experiment carried out by a team from Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, Stanford and Pittsburgh universities volunteers were subjected to a short piece of video about either the death of a boy's mentor or the Great Barrier Reef. Both videos had been validated to induce either a state of sadness or no emotional response. After watching the videos the participants were then asked to buy or not buy a bottle of water at various prices.


The people who had watched the video about the death of the boy's mentor paid more for the same bottle of water than the people who had watched the Great Barrier Reef video. The researchers concluded that people's emotional state has a direct influence on how much they are willing to spend.

For years sales people have been taught to greet customers with a smile. Most people automatically smile back, and by smiling their brains assume they are happy and run their 'happy program'. The new research above suggests there may be an alternative. I'm not suggesting alienating or berating customers as they enter your premises like a retail Basil Fawlty but perhaps some low key melancholic classical music rather than Gobby Williams blaring out might put shoppers into a more self-reflective state making them more likely to pay higher prices.

Ethics aside, it's a fascinating area to be explored.

Things that bother me no. 2

Wind.

Surprisingly I'm not talking about flatus. I'm talking about Billy Wind.

A cross wind is worse than a head wind.

We are sworn enemies.

Sign by Danasoft - Myspace Layouts, Forum Signatures

things that bother me no. 8674

The word 'winningest'.

Google adwords strikes again

We seem to now have a new selection of ads on this page along the following lines:

Gut & Bowel Troubles?

Sometimes Going Can Be Difficult Ease The Pain, Visit Our Site Today

www.PassItOnNow.co.uk

and

Bloating

I Cured My Irritable Bowel Fast So Can You - Read My Story

www.ThisCureWorks.com/IBS

and even better...

Problems with your bowel?

Stop worrying about your bowel Have a virtual colonoscopy today

www.vitalimaging.co.uk

I can only assume that Google, in it's ineffable wisdom, has picked up on the fact that Satan has a face on his bottom and it makes him rather irritable.

Makes you wonder what else we could make it come up with. Hmm. I'd rather like to go Llama trekking in the Appalachia. While I'm there i might decide to make my own jam. I might get a cheap luxury watch to bring home with me. (on a low budget airline of course)

Certainly don't want to mention prescription medicines - that'd give Google a field day...

Which came first, orange or the orange?

Do you suppose an orange is so named due to its orangey hue, or was the colour orange given its name in recognition of the fruit to which it bears such a striking resemblance?

'tis a most perplexing mystery.


An orange.


Some orange.

The subject of orange foodstuffs brings me cunningly on to the humble carrot. Which shouldn't be orange. It should be, and originally was, black, yellow, red, purple and a veritable plethora of other weird and wonderful colours.

Our now sadly depleted carrot choice is thanks alone to 16th century Dutch farmers, who took it upon themselves to honour their monarchy, the house of Orange, by selectively breeding the yellow and red varieties of carrot commonly available at the time. Little did they know that by presenting their king with an appropriately coloured tuber they would sound the death-knell for worldwide carrot diversity.

It's a lucky thing the colour orange wasn't named after carrots or the whole world would be plunged into confusion.

Things that bother me no. 3

Rain.