Chapter 1
The allure of the rare
Chapter 2
Showing off to survive
Chapter 3
How the brain prices luxury
Chapter 4
Global cultures of status
YOUR GOAL
Master of The psychology of the price tag
Ch 3 · How the brain prices luxury
louisvuitton The Neuroscience of Luxury Pricing
High price, high pleasure Your brain makes it taste so sweet High price, high pleasure
louisvuitton A warm-toned chart displays dopamine levels rising during browsing and falling after purchase.
louisvuitton Two glass placebo pills with precise price labels sit on a chrome surface
Fun Fact
The price of pain: In clinical trials, patients who were told their Parkinson's medication cost $1,500 saw double the motor improvement of those told it cost $100.
Glossary
medial orbitofrontal cortex (noun)
A region of the prefrontal cortex in the brain that is involved in representing reward and pleasure. During a 2008 study, Hilke Plassmann found that expensive wine labels triggered higher activation in this region.
A region of the prefrontal cortex in the brain that is involved in representing reward and pleasure. During a 2008 study, Hilke Plassmann found that expensive wine labels triggered higher activation in this region.
Quiz
What is the psychological term for experiencing regret or anxiety after making an expensive purchase?
Quiz
Brain scans of loyal brand enthusiasts show that their reaction to luxury logos mimics what other human experience?
Quiz
Which part of the brain, associated with pleasure, showed higher activity when Caltech study participants drank 'expensive' wine?
Quiz
Which brain chemical spikes during the anticipation of buying a luxury item, rather than after owning it?
Quiz
In the 2008 Caltech wine study, how many different actual wines were used to test the $10 and $90 price tags?
Quiz
Which university conducted the famous 2005 study testing how price tags affect the power of placebo painkillers?
Quiz
In the 2005 MIT placebo study, what difference did participants report between the $2.50 and $0.10 identical pills?
Quiz
How does the brain's reaction to luxury brands relate to evolutionary tribalism?