----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- Rather than develop new machinery, perhaps we just need to redeploy existing medical equipment to get the job done. Automotive News February 2, 2004 Automakers Tap Minds of Consumers by: Bill Britt DaimlerChrysler and others are using MRI's to examine the way consumers think so they can make sales messages more effective. Participants in the study were placed in an MRI scanner and shown pictures of sports cars. "The two major parts of the brain showing increased activity when viewing a sports car are the right ventral striatum and the right fusiform gyrus. The first is the reward center of the brain, which also is activated by natural stimulants such as sex, cocaine, and chocolate. Things that signal rewards and pleasure have the ability to motivate humans. The second area is associated with recognizing faces and having expert knowledge about something, like cars." "Seeing the cars signals social domination, it activiates the reward mechanism," says senior study author Henrik Walter. Perhaps the work will result in better advertisements, and stimulate more self-contained globules of desire to buy German. Eric Hake ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]