Monkey See, Monkey Do: Part 1,000,000

I came across a really interesting article the other day, and I kept the tab open for days and days without reading it all.  Anyone else do that?  Anyways,  I finally got around to finishing it this morning.  It was about how self-control is actually contagious, in a way.  Basically, if we see people behaving with self-control, we are better able to control ourselves than if we don’t have a mental example.

This is right in line with my existing belief that everything we learn is by analogy.  Everything in our brains is linked to everything else, and the way we position things in our mind very much depends on these connections that connect our ideas in different ways (primarily comparisons and contrasts).

But while that works for simple ideas and objects, for complex stuff like behavioral modeling, we learn by example.  Literally, monkey-see, monkey-do.  And it’s fascinating to me that self-control, something we assume we are born with, or can only achieve through practiced discipline, actually has a lot to do with the environment we are subjected to.  We learn our behaviors subconsciously by example, because we make these analogical connections in our brain.

Here’s a great quote that I thought was especially relevant to marketing though:

“The contagiousness of self-control has important consequences. For one thing, it helps explain why Dominos, Taco Bell and McDonald’s spend so much money on television ads. Their commercials are testimonials for indulgence – they show people happily consuming thousands of calories – and so that makes us less likely to resist. Why munch on carrots when a large pepperoni pizza is only a phone call away?”

Testimonials for indulgence?  Awesome! I also wonder what this holds for mass media in general.  We’re sculpted by everything we watch, even shows.  For example, I was in line behind a very annoying lady in the grocery line.  I actually thought, “I wish someone would punch her in the face like Jersey Shore style.

And then I felt bad after, because I don’t like to think that way.  So even if monkey see doesn’t actually equal monkey do, I have that video playing in my head now.  I’ve seen that clip a million times and it has become a part of the way I think, because it is now connected to so many other things in my mind.

As a marketer and teacher (which are almost the same thing) I’m trying to think of ways that I can use this “power” and harness it for my own ends.  If discipline is contagious, I can think of a lot of possibilities.  And if I’m being honest, I’m also very excited to play with the idea of self-indulgence being contagious as well, even though it’s kind of “evil”.

Anyway, the guy who wrote the article has a book, and if you want to check out the article yourself, I recommend it.  You know, if you’re into this sort of thing.

Linky: http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2010/01/self-control_and_peer_groups.php

Enjoy, and let me know what you think, if you’re feeling so inclined.

Tagged as: commercials, contrasts, indulgence, mass media, self control