Human See, Human Do; Mirror Neurons in The Buying Brain Mimic Behavior

BERKELEY, California, August 16, 2010 - The breakthrough discovery started with an ice cream cone on a hot summer
day.

As Dr. A. K. Pradeep recounts in his new book, The Buying Brain: Secrets
for Selling to the Subconscious (buyingbrain.com/), a researcher in
Professor Giancomo Rizzolati's neuroscience laboratory at the University of
Parma in Italy was enjoying a frozen treat while a monkey sat nearby,
connected to equipment that monitored his brainwave activity. Upon seeing the
lab assistant enjoying the gelato, neurons in the monkey's own brain
instantly fired, matching the activity the primate was observing. In effect,
in his own subconscious, that monkey was going through all the motions that
the lab assistant was actually performing-and enjoying. Thus was launched
what Dr. Pradeep explains in "The Empathic Brain" chapter as mirror neuron
theory.

This discovery revealed that observing someone performing an action or
experiencing an emotion is far from a passive experience. Specialized brain
cells called mirror neurons fire when we see familiar actions performed or
emotions expressed. Observing an action causes brain activity that simulates
what happens when we actually perform the action. Examples include:

    - Seeing a child get a shot causes the parent to wince
    - Watching a close partner handle a stressful situation can cause one's
      own blood pressure to rise
    - Observing a bicyclist zoom down a hill will elevate one's heart rate
      and give a feeling of alertness and possibly even a mirrored endorphin
      jolt
    - Helping an injured person can cause you to hold one's own body as if it
      were injured
    - Seeing a colleague win a deal activates one's own success and reward
      neural pathways

Mirrors in the Marketplace

Dr. Pradeep offers practical guidelines in The Buying Brain: Secrets for
Selling to the Subconscious Mind for marketers wishing to leverage mirror
neuron activity. In the book, Dr. Pradeep recounts how NeuroFocus, the
world's largest neuro-marketing company where he serves as CEO, applied
mirror neuron theory to help a car company solve a puzzling problem and
achieve significantly improved results in its dealers' showrooms.

"Activating the mirror neuron system is one of the most effective ways to
connect with your consumer. Show products being consumed. Show the
effervescent first taste of water, the warm sip of fresh coffee. As we did
for our car company client, depict people directly involved with your product
or service. When consumers are in the store or shopping online, those
feelings of desire will be activated in their subconscious and will help
stimulate them to try and buy."

The Buying Brain: Secrets for Selling to the Subconscious is available at
Amazon.com, Barnes&noble.com, Borders.com, and Books-a-million.com.

More information about The Buying Brain is available by visiting the
book's Facebook page (bit.ly/8Y7bKJ) and Twitter
(www.twitter.com/akpradeep).

About NeuroFocus

The world's leading neuromarketing firm, NeuroFocus
(neurofocus.com) brings advanced neuroscience knowledge and expertise
to the worlds of branding, product development and packaging design,
advertising, in-store marketing, and entertainment. NeuroFocus clients
include Fortune 100 companies across dozens of categories, including
automotive, consumer packaged goods, food and beverage, financial services,
Internet, pharmaceutical, retail, and many more sectors. Entertainment
category clients include major companies in the broadcast and cable
television and motion picture industries.

Headquartered in the U.S. and operating globally through offices and
NeuroLabs in the UK and Europe, the Asia/Pacific region, Latin America, and
the Middle East, the company leverages Nobel Prize caliber and
Doctorate-level credentials in neuroscience and marketing from the University
of California at Berkeley, MIT, Harvard, Oxford, Columbia University, and
other leading institutions, combined with executive business management and
consulting experience. The Nielsen Company is a strategic investor in
NeuroFocus.

Tom Robbins of NeuroFocus, +1-510-526-9882, or Mobile, +1-510-367-1920, tom.robbins at neurofocus.com; or Lance Concannon, +44(0)208-846-0769 or Mobile, +44(0)7780-601145, Lance.concannon at text100.co.uk; or Disha Hoskote, + 91-22-61379021 or Mobile, +91-9769690512, dishah at text100.co.in, both of Text 100 for NeuroFocus