Applying Neuroscience to Politics to Better Understand Voters
Michelle Adams
Marketing Brainology President | Translating Insights to Corporate America
Political Neuroscience and NeuroPolitics are two terms referring to the application of neuroscience tools to politics in order to better understand human behavior and nonconscious thinking. Previously, we have relied on questioning people about what they thought about candidates currently and who they would vote for if the election was held today. Research companies still use surveys and focus groups to ask people directly about their thoughts and feelings. New analytical capabilities allow us to look at voting patterns and political preferences in granular detail by geography, demographics, and behavioral preferences. Using social analytics, we can leverage social media activity and blogs to understand where candidates need to add focused attention.
Adding Neuroscience to our research toolkit only enhances our level of human understanding, which allows candidates to better connect with voters. It is about identifying the issues which really matter to voters, things that keep them up at night. They are often deep rooted insecurities and fears they might not bring up in traditional interviews. They are the issues voters really want to see addressed by candidates in major elections.
Businesses have been utilizing neuroscience for improving marketing for over 10 years. They have developed better advertising campaigns and products that truly address unmet consumer needs. They have optimized their businesses to get rid of the bad and add more of the effective pieces. Neuromarketing is being applied across the globe by savvy fortune 500 companies, and is continuing to be utilized in business beyond marketing to help understand decision-making and conflict in the workforce.
In order to make better political decisions, we need to better understand voters. NeuroPolitics is exactly what we need to ensure we are addressing the issues that matter. Neuroscience applied to business has taught us there are significantly different reactions by men and women to ads and messaging. This has resulted in advertising agencies being more sensitive to who their target audience is and creating better ads.
Our political campaigns and candidates could all use the help of Political Neuroscience and NeuroPolitics. It is time to use proven science to guide campaign strategies and communications. Too many credible scientists across the globe have study after study proving better research tools leads to better results. Neuroscience applied to politics isn’t about brainwashing voters, it is about understanding them.
It is time to expect more. We deserve to be understood and communicated to in a way that speaks to us authentically. To understand us, get to know us.
Michelle Adams, Ph.D. - Founder/President of Marketing Brainology
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8 年This topic has one huge assumption, that the skull has a functioning brain in it. It is not possible to understand the irrational, the judgment that is counter to ones interest. What if the collective mind decides to commit group suicide. I am not sure neuroscience can explain US politics, unless it first test for pathological chemical imbalances on a large scale caused by over-exposure to social media noise. The human brain doesn't function when it has unconscious bias, selective memory, combined with fear.