Ideas worth spreading

Beware neuro-bunk

1,407,657 views | Molly Crockett • TEDSalon London Fall 2012

Brains are ubiquitous in modern marketing: Headlines proclaim cheese sandwiches help with decision-making, while a “neuro” drink claims to reduce stress. There’s just one problem, says neuroscientist Molly Crockett: The benefits of these "neuro-enhancements" are not proven scientifically. In this to-the-point talk, Crockett explains the limits of interpreting neuroscientific data, and why we should all be aware of them.

Brains are ubiquitous in modern marketing: Headlines proclaim cheese sandwiches help with decision-making, while a “neuro” drink claims to reduce stress. There’s just one problem, says neuroscientist Molly Crockett: The benefits of these "neuro-enhancements" are not proven scientifically. In this to-the-point talk, Crockett explains the limits of interpreting neuroscientific data, and why we should all be aware of them.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Molly Crockett

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Neuroscientist Molly Crockett studies altruism, morality and value-based decision-making in humans.

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This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.