What is the role of reason and emotion in decision making?
Green Biz.com and Mashable, a social media information site, comment on the importance of this question and also go a step farther, delineating which one has a greater impact on behavior. Why does it matter, you ask.
These are important questions especially in terms of marketing. So, is it thoughtful reasoning that leads to meaningful attitude change or is it automatic intuition (i.e. emotion driven)?
According to Green Biz, social scientists and philosophers painstakingly build empirical and logical support for their theories on emotion vs. logic, but advertisers go with what works (simply put makes money) and EMOTION works!
Ernest Dichter, a native of Vienna with a doctorate in psychology, became the “father of motivational research,” further advancing the notion that appeals to the subconscious are the key to effective persuasion.
Kare Anderson, a behavioral expert, explains how understanding the science behind the human thought process is crucial to designing an idyllic experience on the web.
She notes that emotion precedes rational thought, and each person reacts differently to certain situations. If you’re aware of these nuances, you can bring out the best in other people. The same techniques can be applied to improve design, user experience and our own relationships.
Both Green Biz.com and Mashable, purport that modern marketers impact preferences and decision-making not with arguments, but with emotions. That is, as soon as a message begins to argue, its chances for success are diminished.
The research suggests that emotions persuade people far more than a good argument backed by rational facts!!