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Most Addictive Sounds Include Cell Phone Buzz, Nat Geo Theme Song

by Warren Riddle on February 23, 2010 at 09:25 AM

Advertising pundits love to focus on the suggestive power and subliminal symbolism inherent to corporate icons and logos. People tend to overlook, however, the significant influence that instantly recognizable sounds can have on the human subconscious.

Elias Arts, a company that focuses on auditory studies, recently partnered with Buyology, Inc. to investigate the addictive power of sound and, in particular, how certain jingles and noises can influence the human brain. According to Fast Company, neuroscience researchers played various sounds for 50 wired volunteers, and then measured the test group's galvanic, pupil and brainwave responses.

The researchers classified the sounds as three different groups: the 10 most addictive "branded" jingles and tones; the 10 most addictive "non-branded" sounds; and an overall combination of both. The branded group definitely includes some ingrained corporate ditties, like the relaxing Intel tones and the uplifting National Geographic tune. But, somehow, people are also attracted to the torturous and over-played jingles of MTV and McDonald's.

The non-branded group includes sounds from both nature and technology, with the buzz of vibrating phones appearing alongside the mouth-watering sound of a sizzling steak. The most significant ranking from the study, though, reveals that humans haven't yet completely become desensitized and narcissistic; as the sweet and innocent chortle of a giggling infant holds the overall number-one spot. [From: Fast Company]

Tags: advertising, brain, jingle, jingles, marketing, neuroscience, science, sound, top

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