Neuromarketing, or neuroeconomics, is the study of how our brains process information and make decisions. It’s all thanks to the brain, the most amazing organ in our bodies. Of course, marketers have been trying to tap into this phenomenon for decades.
The rules have changed over time as new research has come out about how we make decisions and why we make them but some practices still hold today. Here are 35 books that will help you understand the science behind human behavior:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Explore a curated list of 17 recommended neuromarketing books. |
| 2. Gain insights into consumer behavior and decision-making processes. |
| 3. Learn how neuroscience principles can enhance your marketing strategies. |
| 4. Discover books tailored for digital marketers seeking to influence consumers. |
| 5. Access a variety of resources to help you understand and apply neuromarketing concepts. |
| 6. Stay informed about the latest trends and techniques in consumer psychology. |
| 7. Find inspiration for optimizing your marketing campaigns using psychological insights. |
| 8. Educate yourself on the intersection of neuroscience and effective marketing practices. |
| 9. Enhance your ability to create impactful messaging and engagement strategies. |
| 10. Implement neuromarketing principles across various marketing channels for better results. |
(1) Neuromarketing For Dummies
Neuromarketing For Dummies, by Brian Fetherstonhaugh
This book is the perfect place to start if you have no idea what neuromarketing is, or how it can be used in your business.
The author offers a thorough explanation of the science behind neuromarketing and walks you through the process of applying these findings to improve marketing strategies.
He also includes specific examples from companies that use neuromarketing to great effect including some surprising ones!
The book covers topics like what brain scans are and how they work, and how neuroscience has influenced advertising.
Since the 1950s, and how you can use this research for your own business or product creation. It’s also a fun read with plenty of humor sprinkled throughout (and even some jokes).
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(2) Neuromarketing: Understanding The “Buy Buttons” In Your Customer’s Brain
The second book on this list is NeuroMarketing: Understanding the “Buy Buttons” in Your Customer’s Brain by Dr. David Lewis. This book is an excellent read for marketers that want to understand how their customers think and make decisions.
NeuroMarketing is a great introductory book because it gives you a broad view of how the brain works, including how it responds to stimuli, makes decisions and feels emotions.
It covers everything from basic neuroscience to advanced concepts like neuromarketing and neuroeconomics.
If you have time for only one book on this list I would recommend this one as your starting point because it will give you an overview of what neuromarketing is all about before diving into more detail with other resources later on in your journey as a marketer or entrepreneur.
(3) Neuromarketing: Exploring The Brain Of The Consumer
This book explores how the brain of the consumer works, and how we can influence it. It also examines how marketing strategies can be improved using research on human behavior.
(4) Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use To Manipulate Our Minds And Persuade Us To Buy
Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy by Martin Lindstrom is a good read for anyone who wants to understand how advertising works.
It explains how companies use marketing to get us to buy their products, and it’s loaded with examples of what they do and why we’re so susceptible.
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(5) Captology: Computers As Persuasive Technologies
Captology: Computers as Persuasive Technologies is a book by B.J. Fogg, the founder of Stanford’s Persuasive Tech Lab. The book explores ways that computers can be used to influence human behavior and emotions, both for good and for ill.
The term “Captology” is a combination of the words capture (to capture an audience’s attention) and technology (technology).
(6) Predictably Irrational, Revised And Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
This book is a bestseller and is a popular choice among marketers, neuroscientists, behavioral economists, and psychologists.
The author is an eminent professor at the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business. He uses his extensive knowledge of human behavior to explain how irrationality influences our decisions in all aspects of life: from personal finances to business negotiations.
He explains why we should be less concerned with achieving perfectionism (which can be counterproductive) and more concerned with being productive instead.
(7) Brains On Trial: How New Neuroscience Will Transform The Legal System
It’s difficult to talk about the future of neuroscience without sounding like a fortune teller or to be more accurate, it’s hard not to sound like one.
Throughout this book, we’ve been talking about how new research in this field will transform everything from marketing and consumer behavior to the legal system and even international politics.
But what does that mean? How will these changes occur? And when will they happen? We can only speculate at this stage.
The first thing we need to understand is that our brains are incredibly complex machines and even though we know a lot about how they work, there is still much left for us to discover. Some estimate that 99% of our DNA has yet to be mapped for example!
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(8) Neurobiology For Clinical Social Work: Theory And Practice
Neurobiology for Clinical Social Work: Theory and Practice, by Anthony J. Urquiza (Routledge, 2014), is a book that takes a deep dive into the neuroscience of clinical social work.
It explores how our brains function and how we can use this knowledge to better understand what our clients are dealing with in their day-to-day lives.
Urquiza’s book explains why people behave the way they do and what we can do about it as clinicians. He also delves into the history of mental health care through a neurobiological lens, providing context for how social work evolved into its current state.
(9) Brain Rules – Updated And Expanded Edition By John Medina
This book by John Medina is an excellent resource for marketers, as it provides a lot of information on how the brain works and what makes people tick. The book contains 52 rules, each supported by scientific evidence and clinical experience.
This book is divided into four parts: Rules for Your Brain, How Your Brain Works, Behaviors That Work (and Those That Don’t), and Tools to Change Your Life. In each section, there are several chapters that explain a particular concept in more detail than just one rule could do justice to.
(10) The Influential Mind By Tali Sharot
The Influential Mind is about how our brains are influenced by others. As Sharot explains, this can have both positive and negative effects:
Our brain’s interpretation of reality is influenced by the knowledge we already have a phenomenon known as “confirmation bias.”
When we’re exposed to information that supports a belief we already hold, our brains think it’s more credible than if it contradicts what we already believe. In other words:
We tend to be more impressed with evidence that confirms our biases and beliefs than evidence that challenges them.
So when someone tells you why they believe in something (for example, whether climate change is real), you might not listen very well because your mind is already set on thinking they’re wrong (i.e., confirmation bias).
That’s why us as humans need to keep an open mind when talking about controversial topics like this one it’ll help us avoid falling victim to confirmation bias ourselves!
Another way confirmation bias affects our brains’ perceptions of reality involves what psychologists call “the illusion of validity”: Our perception of being right increases simply because we feel confident about it!
For example, if someone asks me whether Donald Trump has had any scandals over the last year or so (which he hasn’t), I would probably say no even though there’ve been several major controversies involving him during his presidency so far…
But because I don’t know much about politics at all and am therefore less informed than people who do follow politics closely… maybe my opinion shouldn’t count too much?
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(11) Behave By Robert Sapolsky
Robert Sapolsky is a neuroscientist who has written several books on human behavior. Behave is his most recent work and it covers all the bases of why we behave the way we do.
Sapolsky begins by explaining how our brains evolved for survival, which means that we have a lot of junk DNA in our brain that was useful back in ancient times but isn’t anymore.
He then goes on to discuss how this affects our behavior today, whether it be through our genes or social constructs passed down from generation to generation.
Behavioral economics plays an important role throughout this book as well Sapolsky explores how various situations can affect people’s decisions and behaviors by looking at them through an economic lens (e.g., what makes someone buy something they don’t need).
(12) This Is Your Brain On Music By Daniel Levitin
This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin is a great book for music lovers and those who want to know more about how it affects the brain.
The book explores how different types of music affect our brains in different ways, such as classical, jazz, and rock. It also looks at how age, gender, and culture can all play a role in how we respond to music.
(13) Subliminal By Leonard Mlodinow
This book explores the science of subliminal messages and their use in marketing and advertising. You’ll learn about how subliminal stimuli can influence our behavior without us even knowing it, and why advertisers are so interested in them.
You’ll also read about:
How movies and TV shows use subliminal messages to make us buy more popcorn
The ways political campaigns have used subliminal messaging to win elections
(14) Contagious By Jonah Berger
In this book, Berger explores why and how ideas spread. He describes the six key principles that make ideas contagious: social currency, authority, trustworthiness, emotions, stories, and simplicity. How can you harness these to create contagious ideas? You’ll find out in Contagious!
(15) The Power Of Habit By Charles Duhigg
In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explains how habits are formed and why they’re so hard to break. He also gives you insight into how you can form new habits, break bad ones, and create good ones instead.
This book is full of examples that show how the power of habit can be harnessed to help people live their best lives.
(16) The Social Animal By David Brooks
by David Brooks
published in 2011
about human nature
written by a Pulitzer Prize-winner, this book is an interesting look at how our brains are wired to make us act and think in certain ways.
The author explores why some people feel more comfortable with crowds than others (and how you can use this to your advantage).
Why people are drawn to or repelled by particular environments, as well as other insights into human behavior that will help you enhance your marketing efforts.
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Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this list of the best neuromarketing books. It was a long journey, but we were able to find some great reads for anyone looking to learn more about how their brain works!
Further Reading
Explore more about neuromarketing and enhance your knowledge with these valuable resources:
Convertize’s List of Neuromarketing Books Discover an extensive collection of recommended neuromarketing books that can help you understand consumer behavior and optimize your marketing strategies.
Blinkist’s Neuromarketing Topics Access concise summaries of neuromarketing insights and concepts from various sources, providing you with a quick overview of key principles.
13 Must-Read Neuromarketing Books for Digital Marketers Dive into this curated list of neuromarketing books tailored for digital marketers, offering valuable insights into how to effectively influence consumer decision-making.
FAQs
What is neuromarketing?
Neuromarketing is a field that combines neuroscience and marketing to understand consumer behavior, preferences, and decision-making processes.
How can neuromarketing benefit marketers?
Neuromarketing provides insights into how consumers perceive and react to marketing stimuli, helping marketers design more effective campaigns and strategies.
Are there any recommended neuromarketing books?
Yes, there are several recommended neuromarketing books that offer in-depth insights into understanding consumer psychology and applying it to marketing efforts.
Can neuromarketing principles be applied to digital marketing?
Absolutely, neuromarketing principles can be applied to various marketing channels, including digital platforms, to optimize messaging and engagement strategies.
Where can I find summaries of neuromarketing concepts?
You can find concise summaries of neuromarketing concepts on platforms like Blinkist, which provide quick overviews of key principles from various sources.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.