As complicated as the mind might be, it all comes down to this: human beings do something to either attain pleasure or ward off pain.

Strip the rest away, and it is that simple. Carrot or the stick, risk or reward, trick or treat.

But if push came to shove in a do-or-die marketing situation, which one would you select?

Dr. John Cacioppo’s research at Ohio State University can help us to answer that question. According to ‘Psychology Today’, Cacioppo led a study in which respondents were shown 3 series of images. The first set of images were linked to nice feelings (e.g, fancy sports coupes), the second set of pictures were neutral (hair dryers and such), and the 3rd set were decidedly aversive (mutilated bodies, dead animals, and so on.). Cacioppo then measured the cerebral cortex activity these pictures stimulated.

The results? When it comes to blazing brain waves, dead cats beat red Lamborghinis.

While photos of sports cars & other pleasurable photos got the brain racing, negative pictures stimulated the most cerebral activity. The research team concluded that our brains have a “negative bias”- – we react most powerfully to stimuli that we consider discouraging or problematic.

Let’s contemplate the implications of these consumer insights.

Pain is more significant than pleasure. Faced with a problem, our brains are driven to search consciously or subliminally for solutions. As we attempt to make people keen to select our products, services, and ideas, we are able to do well when we bring up all the favorable things- – the solutions, features, & benefits- – that come with our offering.

But to be even more impactful, we should first be certain that our target audience is acutely aware of the problems we are solving.

“Problems get our attention better than anything else”, attests Sean D’Souza in ‘The Brain Audit. ‘ “We’re not making up problems to scare customers into buying. .[the] buyer isn’t a fool. All we’re really doing is highlighting the problems that already exist.”

When we present a difficulty unflinchingly and follow it up with a really substantial, differentiated solution, we will win the dash for the minds of our target audience.

With this in mind, let’s embrace both sides of the story- – the bad and the good- – as we roar ahead to the finish line.

Since 2000, Atlanta marketing consultant Marie Elwood has helped top branding companies leverage consumer insights for more profitable sales and marketing results.