Matt Johnson, PhD
@neuroscienceof.bsky.social
Author: Blindsight (2020) & Branding That Means Business (2022)
Consumer Psychology, Neuroscience & Neuromarketing at Hult and Harvard | @thinkers50 2023
neuroscienceof.com
Consumer Psychology, Neuroscience & Neuromarketing at Hult and Harvard | @thinkers50 2023
neuroscienceof.com
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How to create your own serendipity with marketing psychology | Matt Johnson | TEDxHult Boston
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
www.youtube.com
Even in a world where we can create any experience, there's magic in the unexpected.
My TEDx talk explores how neuroscience can help us design for serendipity in marketing and in everyday life.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y6x...
My TEDx talk explores how neuroscience can help us design for serendipity in marketing and in everyday life.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y6x...
Travis Scott eating McDonald's on his Bugatti wing sparked a $10B market cap increase. Not because of celebrity power. Because McDonald's understood something others didn't: It's not about famous people. It's about famous orders. The meal could've been yours. That's the genius🧵
December 6, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Travis Scott eating McDonald's on his Bugatti wing sparked a $10B market cap increase. Not because of celebrity power. Because McDonald's understood something others didn't: It's not about famous people. It's about famous orders. The meal could've been yours. That's the genius🧵
"Diamonds are intrinsically worthless, except for the deep psychological need they fill." - Former De Beers chairman. Before 1948, nobody proposed with diamonds. Now 80% do. De Beers created a global tradition younger than your grandparents. The greatest marketing heist ever. 🧵
December 3, 2025 at 9:35 AM
"Diamonds are intrinsically worthless, except for the deep psychological need they fill." - Former De Beers chairman. Before 1948, nobody proposed with diamonds. Now 80% do. De Beers created a global tradition younger than your grandparents. The greatest marketing heist ever. 🧵
Marcus Collins, who ran Beyoncé's digital strategy, drops this truth in "For The Culture": "We were looking for fans when we should have been looking for believers." The Beyhive wasn't built. It was revealed. They already shared a worldview. The music just connected them. 🧵
November 29, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Marcus Collins, who ran Beyoncé's digital strategy, drops this truth in "For The Culture": "We were looking for fans when we should have been looking for believers." The Beyhive wasn't built. It was revealed. They already shared a worldview. The music just connected them. 🧵
1996 Honda Accord. 140K miles. Broken cup holders. Listed for $500. Sold for $150,000. How? Max Lanman made a video: "You don't need things... This is not a car. This is you. Luxury is a state of mind." The buyer paid 150K to say "I'm above materialism." Peak paradox.
November 26, 2025 at 9:35 AM
1996 Honda Accord. 140K miles. Broken cup holders. Listed for $500. Sold for $150,000. How? Max Lanman made a video: "You don't need things... This is not a car. This is you. Luxury is a state of mind." The buyer paid 150K to say "I'm above materialism." Peak paradox.
REI closed all 142 stores on Black Friday 2015. Paid employees to go outside. Suspended online sales. Chose conviction over the biggest shopping day of the year. Result? 1.4M people joined #OptOutside. And REI had its highest Black Friday sales weekend ever. How? 🧵
November 22, 2025 at 11:41 AM
REI closed all 142 stores on Black Friday 2015. Paid employees to go outside. Suspended online sales. Chose conviction over the biggest shopping day of the year. Result? 1.4M people joined #OptOutside. And REI had its highest Black Friday sales weekend ever. How? 🧵
@marctothec in "For The Culture": Brands like Nike aren't companies we buy from. They're "totems" of identity. Having worked with Nike, I saw this. People don't wear the swoosh for the polyester. They wear it to signal who they are & what they believe about potential. 🧵
November 19, 2025 at 9:35 AM
@marctothec in "For The Culture": Brands like Nike aren't companies we buy from. They're "totems" of identity. Having worked with Nike, I saw this. People don't wear the swoosh for the polyester. They wear it to signal who they are & what they believe about potential. 🧵
Marcus Collins in "For The Culture" asks the uncomfortable question: What's the difference between a cult and a culture? Neurologically speaking... not much. We watch cult docs asking "how could they?" while sitting in our own invisible belief systems we never chose. 🧵
November 15, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Marcus Collins in "For The Culture" asks the uncomfortable question: What's the difference between a cult and a culture? Neurologically speaking... not much. We watch cult docs asking "how could they?" while sitting in our own invisible belief systems we never chose. 🧵
Reading Marcus Collins' "For The Culture" & this blew my mind: People refused to smile in photos for 100+ years. Not because of bad teeth or slow cameras. Smiling meant you were lower class. "Peasants, dimwits, drunks, or children." Social meaning overrides everything.
November 12, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Reading Marcus Collins' "For The Culture" & this blew my mind: People refused to smile in photos for 100+ years. Not because of bad teeth or slow cameras. Smiling meant you were lower class. "Peasants, dimwits, drunks, or children." Social meaning overrides everything.
Reposted by Matt Johnson, PhD
It all comes down to contrast
Some quick fire science on human attention: what stands out, what doesn't, and why
Some quick fire science on human attention: what stands out, what doesn't, and why
September 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
It all comes down to contrast
Some quick fire science on human attention: what stands out, what doesn't, and why
Some quick fire science on human attention: what stands out, what doesn't, and why
Reposted by Matt Johnson, PhD
Serendipity is when our brain's meaning-seeking orientation turns to chance encounters, and we feel a coincidental occurrence “must have happened for a reason”.
And often that is not the end of it, writes @neuroscienceof.bsky.social—it influences our decisions:
buff.ly/5hkrVwv
And often that is not the end of it, writes @neuroscienceof.bsky.social—it influences our decisions:
buff.ly/5hkrVwv
October 25, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Serendipity is when our brain's meaning-seeking orientation turns to chance encounters, and we feel a coincidental occurrence “must have happened for a reason”.
And often that is not the end of it, writes @neuroscienceof.bsky.social—it influences our decisions:
buff.ly/5hkrVwv
And often that is not the end of it, writes @neuroscienceof.bsky.social—it influences our decisions:
buff.ly/5hkrVwv
It all comes down to contrast
Some quick fire science on human attention: what stands out, what doesn't, and why
Some quick fire science on human attention: what stands out, what doesn't, and why
September 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
It all comes down to contrast
Some quick fire science on human attention: what stands out, what doesn't, and why
Some quick fire science on human attention: what stands out, what doesn't, and why
Most believe that Shakespeare was objectively better than any other playwright of his time. The answer feels intuitive, but there's something else happening here..
A quick 🧵 on cultural evolution, taste, and tautology
A quick 🧵 on cultural evolution, taste, and tautology
September 21, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Most believe that Shakespeare was objectively better than any other playwright of his time. The answer feels intuitive, but there's something else happening here..
A quick 🧵 on cultural evolution, taste, and tautology
A quick 🧵 on cultural evolution, taste, and tautology
Reposted by Matt Johnson, PhD
The older we get, the better we were.
Nostalgia Marketing is everywhere. But how does nostalgia actually work? Why does the past feel better and better as we get older?
This comes down to a phenomenon known as rosy retrospection
Nostalgia Marketing is everywhere. But how does nostalgia actually work? Why does the past feel better and better as we get older?
This comes down to a phenomenon known as rosy retrospection
August 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM
The older we get, the better we were.
Nostalgia Marketing is everywhere. But how does nostalgia actually work? Why does the past feel better and better as we get older?
This comes down to a phenomenon known as rosy retrospection
Nostalgia Marketing is everywhere. But how does nostalgia actually work? Why does the past feel better and better as we get older?
This comes down to a phenomenon known as rosy retrospection
The older we get, the better we were.
Nostalgia Marketing is everywhere. But how does nostalgia actually work? Why does the past feel better and better as we get older?
This comes down to a phenomenon known as rosy retrospection
Nostalgia Marketing is everywhere. But how does nostalgia actually work? Why does the past feel better and better as we get older?
This comes down to a phenomenon known as rosy retrospection
August 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM
The older we get, the better we were.
Nostalgia Marketing is everywhere. But how does nostalgia actually work? Why does the past feel better and better as we get older?
This comes down to a phenomenon known as rosy retrospection
Nostalgia Marketing is everywhere. But how does nostalgia actually work? Why does the past feel better and better as we get older?
This comes down to a phenomenon known as rosy retrospection
Reposted by Matt Johnson, PhD
Tough choices
We crave agency and control over what matters to us. But being able to make a choice implies responsibility for its consequences and regret if it turns out bad.
Might we sometimes prefer not to see that option and let fate do its thing?
buff.ly/CXM25Tl
We crave agency and control over what matters to us. But being able to make a choice implies responsibility for its consequences and regret if it turns out bad.
Might we sometimes prefer not to see that option and let fate do its thing?
buff.ly/CXM25Tl
August 10, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Tough choices
We crave agency and control over what matters to us. But being able to make a choice implies responsibility for its consequences and regret if it turns out bad.
Might we sometimes prefer not to see that option and let fate do its thing?
buff.ly/CXM25Tl
We crave agency and control over what matters to us. But being able to make a choice implies responsibility for its consequences and regret if it turns out bad.
Might we sometimes prefer not to see that option and let fate do its thing?
buff.ly/CXM25Tl
Reposted by Matt Johnson, PhD
Cool research 😎
Universal word, universal concept—cool!
Cool research by Pezzuti et al (N=5k, 12 countries) finds ‘cool’ has crystallized on a similar set of values and traits around the globe—powerful, hedonistic, adventurous, autonomous, open, and extraverted:
buff.ly/n56SWeE
Cool research by Pezzuti et al (N=5k, 12 countries) finds ‘cool’ has crystallized on a similar set of values and traits around the globe—powerful, hedonistic, adventurous, autonomous, open, and extraverted:
buff.ly/n56SWeE
July 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Cool research 😎
Reposted by Matt Johnson, PhD
A really fine essay from Koen: the perils of seeking certainty
Blogged: Low-cost certainty - a bad bargain?
We abhor uncertainty, and a good thing too, because it leads to decision paralysis and poor choices. But we often take shortcuts which give us little more than the illusion of certainty:
buff.ly/ym21LnX
We abhor uncertainty, and a good thing too, because it leads to decision paralysis and poor choices. But we often take shortcuts which give us little more than the illusion of certainty:
buff.ly/ym21LnX
July 11, 2025 at 1:44 PM
A really fine essay from Koen: the perils of seeking certainty
Reposted by Matt Johnson, PhD
From Adam Alter’s excellent Anatomy of a Breakthrough.
The book is a must-read.
The book is a must-read.
July 12, 2025 at 10:41 AM
From Adam Alter’s excellent Anatomy of a Breakthrough.
The book is a must-read.
The book is a must-read.
Reposted by Matt Johnson, PhD
The most liberating creative truth you’ll ever hear:
You don’t need to be profoundly original.
In fact, trying to be 100% original is a fast track to paralysis.
A quick 🧵 about recombination, and how real breakthroughs actually happen.
You don’t need to be profoundly original.
In fact, trying to be 100% original is a fast track to paralysis.
A quick 🧵 about recombination, and how real breakthroughs actually happen.
July 12, 2025 at 10:41 AM
The most liberating creative truth you’ll ever hear:
You don’t need to be profoundly original.
In fact, trying to be 100% original is a fast track to paralysis.
A quick 🧵 about recombination, and how real breakthroughs actually happen.
You don’t need to be profoundly original.
In fact, trying to be 100% original is a fast track to paralysis.
A quick 🧵 about recombination, and how real breakthroughs actually happen.
The most liberating creative truth you’ll ever hear:
You don’t need to be profoundly original.
In fact, trying to be 100% original is a fast track to paralysis.
A quick 🧵 about recombination, and how real breakthroughs actually happen.
You don’t need to be profoundly original.
In fact, trying to be 100% original is a fast track to paralysis.
A quick 🧵 about recombination, and how real breakthroughs actually happen.
July 12, 2025 at 10:41 AM
The most liberating creative truth you’ll ever hear:
You don’t need to be profoundly original.
In fact, trying to be 100% original is a fast track to paralysis.
A quick 🧵 about recombination, and how real breakthroughs actually happen.
You don’t need to be profoundly original.
In fact, trying to be 100% original is a fast track to paralysis.
A quick 🧵 about recombination, and how real breakthroughs actually happen.
Reposted by Matt Johnson, PhD
Ever heard of a friction audit?
It’s like a financial audit—but instead of money, you’re tracking moments where people get stuck.
And those small sticking points? They can cost businesses millions.
🧵👇
It’s like a financial audit—but instead of money, you’re tracking moments where people get stuck.
And those small sticking points? They can cost businesses millions.
🧵👇
July 10, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Ever heard of a friction audit?
It’s like a financial audit—but instead of money, you’re tracking moments where people get stuck.
And those small sticking points? They can cost businesses millions.
🧵👇
It’s like a financial audit—but instead of money, you’re tracking moments where people get stuck.
And those small sticking points? They can cost businesses millions.
🧵👇
A really fine essay from Koen: the perils of seeking certainty
Blogged: Low-cost certainty - a bad bargain?
We abhor uncertainty, and a good thing too, because it leads to decision paralysis and poor choices. But we often take shortcuts which give us little more than the illusion of certainty:
buff.ly/ym21LnX
We abhor uncertainty, and a good thing too, because it leads to decision paralysis and poor choices. But we often take shortcuts which give us little more than the illusion of certainty:
buff.ly/ym21LnX
July 11, 2025 at 1:44 PM
A really fine essay from Koen: the perils of seeking certainty
Ever heard of a friction audit?
It’s like a financial audit—but instead of money, you’re tracking moments where people get stuck.
And those small sticking points? They can cost businesses millions.
🧵👇
It’s like a financial audit—but instead of money, you’re tracking moments where people get stuck.
And those small sticking points? They can cost businesses millions.
🧵👇
July 10, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Ever heard of a friction audit?
It’s like a financial audit—but instead of money, you’re tracking moments where people get stuck.
And those small sticking points? They can cost businesses millions.
🧵👇
It’s like a financial audit—but instead of money, you’re tracking moments where people get stuck.
And those small sticking points? They can cost businesses millions.
🧵👇
Cool research 😎
Universal word, universal concept—cool!
Cool research by Pezzuti et al (N=5k, 12 countries) finds ‘cool’ has crystallized on a similar set of values and traits around the globe—powerful, hedonistic, adventurous, autonomous, open, and extraverted:
buff.ly/n56SWeE
Cool research by Pezzuti et al (N=5k, 12 countries) finds ‘cool’ has crystallized on a similar set of values and traits around the globe—powerful, hedonistic, adventurous, autonomous, open, and extraverted:
buff.ly/n56SWeE
July 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Cool research 😎
Reposted by Matt Johnson, PhD
Creativity thrives on nonredundancy. Not just novel content—but novel collisions of people and ideas.
So the next time you feel stuck, don’t double down on what’s familiar.
Invite a little friction.
So the next time you feel stuck, don’t double down on what’s familiar.
Invite a little friction.
June 22, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Creativity thrives on nonredundancy. Not just novel content—but novel collisions of people and ideas.
So the next time you feel stuck, don’t double down on what’s familiar.
Invite a little friction.
So the next time you feel stuck, don’t double down on what’s familiar.
Invite a little friction.