Happiness Inc.

There's a fascinating article in today's Wall Street Journal (subscription required) about the science of happiness. This may be the next great advancement in marketing research. (Or it's the next road to ruin in the world of business if you are an anti-marketing cynic.)

...gearing up to do something can make you happier than actually doing it. "Anticipation is totally underestimated," says Prof. Knutson, whose work is funded in part by the National Institute on Aging and the MacArthur Foundation. "Why do slot machines have arms? You could just have a button -- but the arm heightens the anticipation." 

Some marketers say such results will also reinforce a trend already well under way in advertising: selling the experience rather than the product. A running-shoe ad that focuses more on the pleasure of running, for example, can build a viewer's anticipation in a way that talking about the makeup of the shoe itself can't. 

It sounds like the old "features vs. benefits" discussion is alive and well. The twist this time is the quantification of product benefits. It involves turning that subjective thing -- a perceived benefit -- into objective, measurable information.

"The results you get through facial testing are much more accurate than focus groups," Mr. Ksiezyk says. "In focus groups, people say what they think you want to hear, or there's a leader and everyone nods and agrees."

The unreliable nature of focus groups is remarkable. Bias is inherent in focus group research, and it's hardly a fool-proof method of determining the success or failure of a product. In as much as this new research can improve the product development process, I'm all for it.

Science Friday had a program last fall about Satisfaction and Happiness that covered similar ground. It's well worth a listen.

There are also shades of Blink here. Malcolm Gladwell's writing on facial expressions and snap judgements dovetails with this nicely.