Their tools included the electroencephalogram, or EEG, which physicians use to analyze the brain’s electrical patterns in diagnosing head injuries, seizures, and other problems. But the advertising researchers were using this device to pinpoint the moment when our emotions make us vulnerable to persuasion and branding. They’d also repurposed the fMRI brain scanner to unlock the secrets of cravings and compulsive behavior, but for the advantage of advertisers, not addiction research.
