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The Brainy Business | Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy | Behavioral Economics

Melina Palmer
Behavioral Economics
Consumer Behavior
Behavioral Science
Leadership
Decision Making
Marketing Strategies
Artificial Intelligence
Social Proof
Empathy
Marketing Strategy
Customer Experience
Employee Engagement
Mirror Neurons
Branding
Goal Setting
Choice Architecture
Change Management
Psychology
Innovation
Consumer Psychology

Consumers are weird. They don't do what they say they will do and don't act how we think they "should." Enter Melina Palmer, a sales conversion expert with a personal mission to make your business more effective and brain friendly. In this podcast, Melina will take the complex concepts of behavioral economics (the study and science of why people buy - or not) and provide simple, actionable tips yo... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes598Founded8 years ago
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MarketingBusinessScienceSocial Sciences

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Artwork for The Brainy Business

Latest Episodes

In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, Melina Palmer welcomes Dr. Jonah Berger, author of the insightful book Magic Words. As a renowned Wharton School professor and expert on consumer behavior, Jonah shares his expertise on the power of lan... more

In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, Melina Palmer welcomes Will Leach, CEO of the Mindstate Group, to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and behavioral economics. As AI becomes increasingly prevalent in business, many org... more

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In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, Melina Palmer is joined by Ron Johnson, author of Shop Different and the visionary behind the iconic Apple Store experience. Ron shares his journey from his early days in retail at Target to revolutioni... more

In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, Melina Palmer is joined by Dr. Masud Husain, a cognitive neurologist and author of Our Brains, Our Selves. They delve into the intriguing phenomenon of "quiet cracking," a term that captures the subtle ... more

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Recent Guests

Masud Husain
Professor of Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford; author of Our Brains, Our Selves
University of Oxford
Episode: 595. Understanding Motivation and the Brain
Uri Gneezy
Economist, behavioral scientist, author of Mixed Signals
UC San Diego (Rady School of Management)
Episode: 594. The Art of Incentives: How to Send the Right Signals
Matt Abrahams
Lecturer in organizational behavior at Stanford's Graduate School of Business; author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Episode: 592. Strategies for Confident Communication
Liz Tran
Author of AQ, A New Kind of Intelligence for a World That's Always Changing
Inner Genius
Episode: 591. AQ Unleashed: New Intelligence for a Changing World
Cassie Holmes
Professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management; author of Happier Hour
University of California, Los Angeles
Episode: 590. Unlocking the Secrets to a Happier Life
Dan Bennett
Global Head of Behavioral Science at Ogilvy
Ogilvy
Episode: 589. Signals of Success: Unpacking Status and Behavior
Ron Friedman
Social psychologist, researcher, author of Super Teams
Super Teams (book)
Episode: 587. Unlocking the Secrets of Super Teams
Mike Rucker
Organizational Psychologist and author of The Fun Habit
Episode: 586. The Fun Habit: Rediscovering Joy in Everyday Life
Oliver Sweet
Business Anthropologist, Ipsos
Ipsos
Episode: 585. How Cultural Insights Shape Business Success

Host

Melina Palmer
Host of The Brainy Business; specializes in applying behavioral economics and psychology to sales, marketing, and business strategy.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 290 ratings
  • a must listen!

    Melina's "The Brainy Business" podcast is like a college degree packaged into 45 minute segments. She breaks down human behavior in a relatable way and gives excellent examples and stories to help you connect with the information. Best of all, she makes it so easy for you to leverage and apply insights. This podcast is a must listen. You'll come away feeling like you've known Melina forever!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Molecular Biophysics
    United Statesa year ago
  • Really thoughtful conversations!

    I love Melina’s academic orientation and the excellent guests she brings on. I learn something new and thought-provoking from every single episode!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Academic in MA
    United Statesa year ago
  • Terrifically entertaining and educational!

    I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Melina Palmer for her podcast about my new book, Framing: The Social Art of Influence. I was truly impressed by how skillfully Melina drew connections between social influence across so many areas of life—from marketing to mobilizing people around environmental, health, and social well-being issues.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Micke Pickadoll
    Swedena year ago
  • Excellent

    Melina is engaging and really knows her stuff. Highly recommended!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Robert Kurzban
    United States2 years ago
  • As a curious, psychology obsessed learner

    This podcast gives you valuable information on how we “really” make decisions. With a background in economics I learned how we are “rational individuals”, now I get the real insight into how we make decisions. Irrational decisions and justify them afterwards.

    I highly recommend listening and learning from Melina Palmer.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Obsessed learner
    Norway2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

episodes are engaging and digestible for busy professionals.
listeners appreciate actionable frameworks they can test immediately.
listeners praise the host's clarity and practical takeaways.
the show blends academic rigor with real-world applicability.
guests are consistently high-caliber and topics feel research-backed.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

594. The Art of Incentives: How to Send the Right Signals
Q: What are practical steps to balance quantity and quality when designing incentives, so you don't incentivize the wrong behavior?
Decide whether you value quantity or quality, reflect that in the incentive design, and couple it with robust metrics (e.g., quality checks, customer satisfaction, long-term outcomes) and possibly dual incentives that reinforce both aspects without sending mixed signals.
594. The Art of Incentives: How to Send the Right Signals
Q: So for someone who is, we'll say an executive or a manager that's tasked with incentivizing their teams, what should they consider first when revamping incentive programs?
Start with an audit to understand existing incentives, define the desired story you want to tell, and choose signals (including non-monetary rewards) that align with that narrative while measuring impact with clear KPIs and possibly A/B testing.
592. Strategies for Confident Communication
Q: Can you share a bit about preparation for presentations and how to stay spontaneous yet prepared?
He emphasizes that you can prepare to be spontaneous by having frameworks and rules (recipes) to guide you, such as the What/So/Now What structure, which allows for agility within a prepared framework.
592. Strategies for Confident Communication
Q: Can you share a little bit about how you got looped into this world of spontaneous speaking?
Matt explains three paths—his upbringing with a knack for speaking first, teaching at Stanford and noticing students frozen on cold calls, and his development of a methodology to help people feel comfortable in spontaneous moments.
584. The Category Creation Formula
Q: How do you pitch people to be willing to talk to you?
Leverage your network and ask for warm introductions; early in a career you rely on colleagues to connect you with sources, whereas later you can reach out through your broader network to find the right people to interview.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Brainy Business

What is The Brainy Business about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A practical exploration of how psychology, behavioral economics, and cultural insight shape consumer choices, branding, and business strategy. Topics span happiness design, signals in branding, category creation, teamwork, and the science of making brands feel cooler or more human. Guests range from academics and researchers to practitioners in marketing, technology, and leadership, offering actionable frameworks you can test in real-world campaigns and product development. The show is known for distilling dense research into concrete steps, with a strong emphasis on applying behavioral science to improve marketing, product, and organizational outcomes.

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Which podcasts are similar to The Brainy Business?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Brainy Business:

1. Nudge
2. The Knowledge Project
3. The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
4. Marketing Against The Grain
5. Huberman Lab

How many episodes of The Brainy Business are there?

The Brainy Business launched 8 years ago and published 598 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Brainy Business?

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What guests have appeared on The Brainy Business?

Recent guests on The Brainy Business include:

1. Masud Husain
2. Uri Gneezy
3. Matt Abrahams
4. Liz Tran
5. Cassie Holmes
6. Dan Bennett
7. Ron Friedman
8. Mike Rucker

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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