47. Danger, Food, Sex, Movement, Faces, and Stories Get the Most Attention

Here’s what grabs attention the most:

• Anything that moves (for example, video or blinking)

• Pictures of human faces, especially if they are looking right at you

• Pictures of food, sex, or danger

• Stories

• Loud noises (covered in Number 48)

Why People Can’t Resist Paying Attention to Food, Sex, and Danger

Have you ever wondered why traffic always slows when people are driving by an accident? Do you moan about the fact that people are attracted by the gruesome, and yet find that you glance over too as you drive by? Well, it’s not really your fault that you (and everybody else) can’t resist looking at scenes of danger. It’s your old brain telling you to PAY ATTENTION. ...

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