BrainCandy English

Coping with heat waves: How to strengthen our bodies for summer Dear 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...

In 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 commu...

Have 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...

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”...

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_fak...

Just 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...

Who 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 cust...

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 comi...

In 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:   -...

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 you...

Forget 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 a...

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...

Vor 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 wic...

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 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 an...

I 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...

At 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 ther...

In 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 ef...

You 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...

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 Vio...

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 r...

Richard 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 masterf...

If 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...

Small 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 opp...

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 th...