A Paixão pelo iPhone: Neuromarketing Feito às 3 Pancadas no NY Times

Se alguém lhe disser que estudos científicos demonstraram que você está apaixonado pelo seu iPhone, não fique surpreendido – e já agora duvide. Provavelmente esse alguém leu um artigo de opinião no New York Times escrito por Martin Lindstrom que defende que os utilizadores de iPhone não são viciados no telemóvel da Apple; estão “literalmente apaixonados” pelo seu iPhone.

A evidência de Lindstrom é um estudo que realizou, recorrendo a ressonância magnética funcional (fMRI), que demonstrou que, de acordo com a sua interpretação, os utilizadores demonstram um padrão de actividade cerebral quando vêem ou ouvem um iPhone similar ao exibido quando vêem uma pessoa que amam:

Earlier this year, I carried out an fMRI experiment to find out whether iPhones were really, truly addictive, no less so than alcohol, cocaine, shopping or video games. In conjunction with the San Diego-based firm MindSign Neuromarketing, I enlisted eight men and eight women between the ages of 18 and 25. Our 16 subjects were exposed separately to audio and to video of a ringing and vibrating iPhone.

In each instance, the results showed activation in both the audio and visual cortices of the subjects’ brains. In other words, when they were exposed to the video, our subjects’ brains didn’t just see the vibrating iPhone, they “heard” it, too; and when they were exposed to the audio, they also “saw” it. This powerful cross-sensory phenomenon is known as synesthesia.

But most striking of all was the flurry of activation in the insular cortex of the brain, which is associated with feelings of love and compassion. The subjects’ brains responded to the sound of their phones as they would respond to the presence or proximity of a girlfriend, boyfriend or family member.

In short, the subjects didn’t demonstrate the classic brain-based signs of addiction. Instead, they loved their iPhones.