Brain scans can predict chocolate sales

Think you aren’t susceptible to advertising?  Thanks to science, advertisers are getting closer and closer to being able to read our minds. A new study published in the journal NeuroImage explains that by tracking brain activity, scientists can predict which candy bars shoppers will buy at the grocery store.

During a functional MRI, 18 women were shown three different advertisements for chocolate. Researchers measured the areas of the brain related to product preference and structures associated with high prices.

They were able to use that information to accurately predict chocolate sales from  the advertisements- and we don't mean the chocolate that just these 18 women were buying.

The researchers ran the ads in stores for 6 weeks and found that the more brain activation from an ad, the better the candy sold.

This means that scientists can now predict actual sales using the brain data from just a small sampling of potential customers.

It's incredible-  but is it that big of a surprise? You really don’t need to be a mind reader to know that we want chocolate.