I found this article that is very interesting. It is about experiments conducted for the purpose of refining the advertising technique. What seems to be going on here is that a link has been found, on a material level, between greed, avarice (or the desire for possesions) and self-esteem. This is what the holy Fathers said also. They said that the root of all the passions is self-love. After this comes the three main passions, gluttony, self-esteem and avarice. Self-love is the major dogma of our modern way of life. The maintainence of this system of "world" we live in is clearly the three major passions of gluttony, self-esteem and avarice. they are the main leverage used against us in advertising and media once the first one, self-love, has been established.
Of course, we know all these things are true because they are the teaching of the Church and we learn them through our struggles. I just thought it was interesting and worth noting that science is reaching the same conclusion based on a purely materialist type of investigation.
an excerpt:
"When Peter Graser underwent an MRI scan at Emory University, doctors weren't looking for disease.
Instead, brain researchers flashed images -- Madonna, broccoli, sushi, a Ford truck, a golden retriever, Bill Clinton, Coca-Cola -- before the 37-year-old Marietta resident's eyes as he lay inside the coffin-like tube of the magnetic resonance imaging machine.
The scientists discovered a biological clue to what drives consumers: Whenever Graser and a dozen other study volunteers saw a picture they particularly liked, their brains showed increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex -- an area associated with preference, or sense of self.
On this Super Bowl Sunday, when advertising swells to a fever pitch, the researchers' conclusion is especially appropos: What really makes us loyal purchasers is a brand that reflects our self-image, not a product's taste, size, color or convenience."
Check the full article out here -