Matt Johnson Ph.D.

About

Matt Johnson, PhD is a speaker, researcher, and writer specializing in the application of psychology and neuroscience to marketing. Following his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Princeton University, his work has explored the science behind brand loyalty, experiential marketing, and consumer decision-making. He is the author of Branding That Means Business (The Economist, Fall 2022) and the best-selling consumer psychology book Blindsight: The (mostly) hidden ways marketing reshapes our brains (BenBella, 2020).

As a contributor to major news outlets, including Entrepreneur, Forbes, and BBC, he regularly provides expert opinion and thought leadership on a range of topics related to the human side of business. Matt is also passionate about helping brands use neuroscience to better understand, serve, and interact with their consumers, and to this end, he consults with a wide array of organizations, including as an expert-in-residence for Nike. Matt currently resides in Boston, MA, where he is a Professor of Psychology of Marketing and Hult International Business School and an instructor at Harvard University’s Division of Continuing Education.

Books by Matt Johnson Ph.D.

Recent Posts

The Psychology of Lumping and Splitting

How do we make sense of new experiences? Ultimately, it's about how we categorize them—which we often do by "lumping" or "splitting" them.

What the Cobra Effect Teaches Us About Reward Psychology

What began as a simple anti-snake campaign ended in a slithery disaster. What does the cobra effect teach us about the psychology of rewards?

The Psychology Behind Symbolic Products

From social status to environmental values, products help us say things we can't say ourselves.

The Surprising Psychology of Christmas Advertisements

Christmas is big business, and its not just about gift-giving and seasonal shopping.

The Surprising Psychology of Milk Tea

At first glance, milk tea is about pure enjoyment. But beneath the smiles lies a deeper psychology.

What Britney Spears' Chewing Gum Teaches Us About Marketing

We tend to see and appreciate the hidden "soul" in otherwise ordinary objects. And in the consumer world, this drives us to buy.

Why Some People Still Love Physical Products

How can the physical world compete with the convenience of the digital world? It all comes down to symbolism and social identity.

How Brands Tap Into Deeper Emotions

Why do you love the brands you love? It all comes down to how they connect with deeper, emotional motivations.

The Psychology of How Marketing Captures Our Attention

Why do we stop at some ads but not others? Or look at some billboards, but not others? It all comes down to the psychology of attention.

The Psychology of Death Rituals

Throughout time and across cultures, it's relatively rare for there to be a strict divide between life and death. How do death rituals impact our attitudes toward the dead?