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Howard G. Smith, M.D. is a former radio medical editor and talk show host in the Boston Metro area. His "Medical Minute" of health and wellness news and commentary was a regular weekday feature on WBZ-AM, WRKO-AM, and WMRE-AM. His popular two-way talk show, Dr. Howard Smith OnCall, was regularly heard Sunday morning and middays on WBZ.

Dr. Smith has adopted audio and video podcasting as conduits for HEALTH NEWS YOU SHOULD USE. Based on the latest medical, health, and wellness literature these reports provide practical information you can use to keep yourself and your family healthy. Many reports have video versions, and Dr. Smith’s YouTube Channel may be found at: http://bit.ly/2rNw6XQ

Trained at Harvard Medical School and a long-time faculty member at Boston Children’s Hospital, he practiced Pediatric Otolaryngology for 40 years in Boston, Southern California, and in central Connecticut.  He is now based in New York City.

If you have questions or suggestions about this content, please email the doctor at drhowardsmith.reports@gmail.com or leave him a message at 516-778-8864.  His website is: www.drhowardsmith.com.

Please note that the news, views, commentary, and opinions that Dr. Smith provides are for informational purposes only. Any changes that you or members of your family contemplate making to lifestyle, diet, medications, or medical therapy should always be discussed beforehand with personal physicians who have been supervising your care.

Sep 27, 2019

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/JpZFL6rGnfY

 

Slogans seem more believable if the words appear in alphabetic order or nearly so.  A University of  Texas study, just published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, explores this phenomenon in detail.

 

Ten advertising claims, either written in an alphabetic sequence or not, were presented to a focus group and rated for truthfulness.  The truth ratings were significantly higher for those sound bites that flowed in alphabetic order..  For instance, “Bufferin Eases Pain” is more believable than “Pain Eased By Bufferin.”

 

The advertising agencies employ this brain preference to control your buying habits.  Knowledge is power.  Now you are aware of this advertising trick, so look for it in the advertising pitches you see and hear.

 

 Dan King, Sumitra Auschaitrakul. Symbolic Sequence Effects on Consumers’ Judgments of Truth for Brand Claims. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/jcpy.1132

 

#Alphabeticorder #advertising #truth