Sunday, August 28, 2011

The strange ways of our mind...

Hi Everyone;

  I haven't been posting so much lately, if you've not noticed already.  Sorry.  Just sort of busy and not quite so much to say.  But, when something does come up I like to share it. 
  I would like to take an aside and say that I'm adding to the two picture blogs - you can see these on the right - fairly frequently and that some of my less cerebral time goes there.  Of course, that indicates that there may be some cerebral activity going on here, which is not all so fair to presume.

  I was just reading on Time (http://moneyland.time.com/2011/08/26/how-consumers-fool-themselves-into-thinking-theyve-made-good-purchases/ ) about how we are manipulated in our shopping experiences.  I try to be wise in my purchases because I don't have the funds to venture into foolishness too often.  It was interesting in some avenues - specifically, I think, that we will spend more for products at easy reach than those not so simply attained.  I know for myself that when I am ready to purchase an item, and my toolbox at work is a great example of this, I'm ready to buy.  If that item isn't available right away, I'll go elsewhere and spend more for it rather than be patient.  Other times, I'm very patient and know I want something and what it costs before I make the purchase, so then wait until I find the "deal".
  Another interesting fact is locality.  That refers to area as well as time.  The manner in which foods are shown changes over the years.  The article used Clam Chowder as an example....in a generation past it was a thin soup.  Now it is very thick.... another is what is considered good food.  The article talked about an area where grasshoppers are fried and eaten and shrimp is considered garbage.  I recall reading where the new colonists to America were restricted to feeding their indentured servants lobster no more than 3-times a week.  Now it is a delicacy.
  So, having read that and beginning to think on the manner of manipulations we go through every day, I went on to see this video that I'll play below.  It was really interesting in the way that the very understanding of things, in a more simple and uneducated form, can influence purchase habits and value in other areas.
  I am interested in the psycho~social impact and value system this represents even to adults.  Please feel free to comment and maybe we can all learn a bit more about how we think.  Personally, I'm a bit intrigued.