The Buyology of Sound:

The World’s Most Addictive Sounds

All day, every day, we’re surrounded by sound. But did you know that some sounds have a remarkable influence on our brain – and even our shopping behaviour?

Following the release of the ground-breaking book Buyology, Lindstrom and his New York based team at Buyology Inc., in partnership with global audio identity experts Elias Arts, have used the most advanced neuroscience equipment to test 50 carefully selected sounds, in order to explore how we’re affected by all what we hear every day.
 
Lindstrom and his team set out to identify the most addictive sounds in the world. The astounding results of this multimillion dollar study are featured in Time magazine. 

A couple of highlights from the combined Top 10 list

The most powerful and addictive sound in the world is a baby giggling. In fact this sound is so influential that mothers who heard it during the test were distracted and had problems focusing. This sound is twice as powerful as the sound that came in as second on the list.

Some would consider this a little unsettling, while others would find it delightful – the second most powerful sound in the world is the Intel tune, followed by the sound of a vibrating phone. We’ve become so attuned to our electronic messages, that the respondents in the experiment stopped what they were doing, removed their headphones, and reached for their phone to check on their messages. Unbeknownst to them, this was part of the experiment.

The financial ways of the world have profoundly influenced the human psyche, resulting in  fifth most powerful sound in the world – an ATM cash machine counting money. Is this a sad statement on our values, or simply a reflection of our utter dependency on money? You decide. 

Eighth on the list is another reflection of hurried 21st century lives.   The sound of burgers cooking is more powerful than those of nature. McDonald’s is one of the ten most powerful and addictive sounds in the world.

If you want to learn more about the true power of our senses check out Lindstrom’s revise and updated paperback edition of Brand Sense or the new paperback edition of Buyology - Truth and Lies About Why We Buy – with a new chapter on the aftermath of the recession and what it means to our Buyology.