崇尚名牌不是奢侈浪費，而是人類大腦的本能反應，你相信嗎？現在這可是有科學根據的囉～
Plada: It’s getting cold these days. Winter is really coming!
Kuggi: Great! I’ve always wanted to buy myself a Burberry overcoat, and now it’s time!
Plada: Dream on. You are only wealthy enough to buy some Burberry-like raincoat.
Kuggi: Come on! I am just kidding, okay? Hasn’t your mom told you that it’s impolite to interrupt “the creative effulgence of imagination”?
Plada: Yes, she has, but she also told me that it’s more important to stop “the spontaneous overflow of absurdity.”
Kuggi: Alright, your mother wins. But seriously, I find myself strangely attracted to brand-name products, clothing, accessories, bags, even the pirated ones.
Plada: Not only you, most people are like that, according to a recent study on brain reaction to brand…
Kuggi: Pardon? Brain reaction to brand, or brand reaction to brain?
Plada: Hey, I say stop your spontaneous overflow of absurdity!
Kuggi: Can’t help, it’s just “spontaneous,” as you said. So what did our lovely scientists find about brain and brand?
Plada: Well-known commercial brands can activate areas of the brain involved in warm emotions, reward, and self-identity, while lesser-known ones elicit negative responses.
Kuggi: Sounds like some old-fashioned excuse for squandering—“makes me happy!” What better reasons can we find for such spendthrift consumption, except for “Makes me happy”?
Plada: At least this time it is scientifically based. The MRI used in this research measures brain activities that tell no lies. It can gauge consumer response directly and eliminate the risk of dishonest or incomplete answers in market surveys.
Kuggi: What if I am determined to lie by wielding my willpower? “I don’t like Burberry! I don’t like Burberry! I like strawberry, strawberry, strawberry!!” Can the machine tell?
Plada: Yes. A student was asked to name his favorite brand of sneakers, and he said Adidas. But under MRI, Puma actually evoked a more positive response, and the student admitted that his favorite shoe was a Puma model that was out of his price range.
Kuggi: The subconscious, cool! Maybe I can get a test and find out which brand I like most, since it’s so difficult to decide consciously.
Plada: You don’t have to. We already know that you like "strawberry" best.
Wordbank:
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overcoat (n) 外套，大衣
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squander (v) 揮霍
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raincoat (n) 雨衣
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spendthrift (adj) 揮霍無度的
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interrupt (v) 打斷
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consumption (n) 消費
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effulgence (n) 光輝
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MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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spontaneous (adj) 自發的
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磁共振造影
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overflow (n) 泛濫，洋溢
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gauge (v) 測量
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absurdity (n) 荒謬
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eliminate (v) 消除
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brand-name (adj) 名牌的
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market survey (ph) 市場調查
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pirated (adj) 盜版的
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wield (v) 行使權力，施加影響
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activate (v) 使活動
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willpower (n) 意志力
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self-identity (n) 認同
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sneakers (n) 球鞋
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lesser-known (adj) 較不知名的
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range (n) 範圍
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elicit (v) 引起
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subconscious (adj) 潛意識的
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old-fashioned (adj) 老套的
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相關網站：
abc News ：Shoppers' Brains Under Brand-Name Control
EurekAlert：MRI shows brains respond better to name brands
Commercial Alert：This Is Your Brain on a Strong Brand: Even Insurers Can Excite
TVBS News：新研究：名牌刺激大腦 引購物欲
