Stuck at the till and fancy a chocolate to go? You look around but there’s no chocolate in sight – instead packets of nuts and fruit line the checkout shelves. Okay, that’ll do. You pop through two packets of nuts and a piece of fruit to your basket and proceed to checkout.
Sound familiar?
People only notice something when it stands out to them; otherwise, it is almost invisible. A simple example of this is when you decide to look for a particular make of car, and then you start to see these everywhere. The number of these cars has not suddenly increased. They were always there. It is just your attention to them that has altered. This make of car is now the most noticeable and relevant thing to you. It is salient, so your brain ‘looks’ for it. This is an example of where salience has been brought about by shifting attention to a specific feature.
Polarised. Partisan. Divided. Entrenched. Our need for co-operation has never been greater, so why do we find ourselves so far apart?
From tackling the climate emergency to dismantling the politics of hate, good communication is vital. We need to talk responsibly and listen wisely. But all too often, we dismiss and deride. We stoke divisions and ignore evidence, even if it costs our own health.
Present basis is our tendency to prefer immediate rewards at the expense of long-term goals. It’s a hangover from our ancestors who, in their struggle for survival, grabbed whatever was within reach, rather than risk waiting for better opportunities in the future (because ‘future’ meant ‘less certain’).
Ask your grandparents about when they were younger. You’ll probably be told about how great everything was back then, especially compared to now. Or think back to 2019 – everything was amazing, we didn’t have to think about masks, and there wasn’t a daily COVID-19 infection or death rate broadcast on TV.
But were things really as good as we remember them? The cognitive bias rosy retrospection can help explain why we view the past with rose tinted glasses.
Have you heard someone mention a fear of the unknown when deciding against getting involved in a situation? Have you ever avoided a situation because you feel the outcome is unknown? You’re presenting a behaviour known as Ambiguity Aversion; the tendency to favour the known over the unknown, including known risks over unknown risks.
The BS Monitor is the first dedicated pulse-check of literacy and adoption of behavioural science in the PR and communications industry.
Lynn PR have been recommissioned to continue our work with Our Healthier South East London to deliver an urgent behaviour change vaccination campaign for expectant families and those considering having children in south east London.
Lynn PR, with the launch of its ‘Misinformation Cell’, becomes the United Kingdom’s first PR company to provide a tailored service to help clients with the growing threat of misinformation.
Lynn PR are working with the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the NHS to continue delivery of the urgent behaviour change vaccination campaign for young people.
