My Neocortex and My New Handbag
The burnt orange devil that dissed my neocortex. Shoes are just as subversive as handbags when it comes to reasoned thinking.
The new part of my brain let me down again. It’s supposed to act like my personal regulatory commission, canceling out my ‘Ooh, pretty’ impulse with reasoned judgment; the kind of thinking that forbids the frivolous use of my credit card.
But the newest overlay of neurons and synapses lost out when a burnt orange handbag came my way. How, I ask myself, could this happen? The answer sounds a bit Zen-like, for there was no how. There was only an out-of-consciousness decision followed by a bunch of reasons that gave my brand new neocortex (yeah, that’s literally saying new-new) the credit for a choice it didn’t really make. If the me that deliberates and the me that decides in an instant co-exist in my fragmented self, in what ways do they cooperate?
Author Jonah Lehrer covers that topic with authority in his recent book How We Decide. He makes the point that rational thought is not our only, nor even our strongest intelligence. We have the capacity to process countless impressions with such rapidity that the new, reasoning part of our brain lags behind. So in my case the result is a mixed blessing – pride of purchase and the shadow of shopper’s remorse.
But what is it that seals the deal on an impulse purchase, even when it costs way more than a candy bar at the check out counter?
Convenience: Okay. The handbag was right there in my friend’s house, detritus from her online shopping spree. It was about to be shipped back to wherever returned handbags go. It’s the difference between someone showing you a TV spot to adopt-a-homeless-dog and actually thrusting a warm, wriggling puppy into your hands.
Features: Oh, it was a perfect storm of decorative hardware, cell phone pockets, separate compartments and a heady mix of magnetic and zippered closures. If you’ve ever gone through airport security, you know the necessity of a bag that zips shut. It wasn’t too big, nor too small. To quote Goldilocks, “it was just right.” And it was burnt orange. Enough said.
Iconic: It’s not like my handbag is one of those designer models. There wasn’t a waiting list like the much lusted after Hermes Birkin bag, and the price tag didn’t have four or five figures.
It’s just that the sum of all its parts is emblematic of, well, me. The choice of this particular handbag says something both to and for me. It’s an ineffable mix of color and character that I want to express in ways that words cannot.
What then, have I learned? Simply this. If I were trying to sell a product, be persuasive, or pitch an idea, I’d make sure that the neocortex isn’t the only thing I’m talking to. Rational thinking is thoughtful. Emotional thinking is powerful. Communication that addresses the whole person is insanely effective.
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