How Social Proof Can Build Trust or Trigger Panic
In March 2020, the S&P 500 lost roughly a third of its value in 33 days. Not because every company in America had suddenly become worthless.
11 November 2025
insights
From Paul Larche and The Divided Brain
These posts and blog articles explore the forces that really shape human behaviour, especially in business, branding, and leadership. Using the Old Brain/New Brain framework from The Divided Brain, I break down why people decide the way they do, and how that understanding can help you communicate with more clarity, influence, and impact.
That Free Coffee at the Car Dealership Is Not Generosity
You walk into the dealership. Before you’ve looked at a single car, someone hands you a coffee. It is a small gesture. Completely routine. The kind of…
7 November 2025
You’re Not Being Lied To. You’re Lying to Yourself.
Nobody thinks of themselves as someone who lives in an information bubble. Every person who consumes exclusively one news source, or follows only voices…
7 November 2025
The First Number Always Wins. Here’s Why.
It was a client dinner, eight of us, at a steakhouse that understood exactly what it was doing. The menu opened with a dry-aged ribeye at $145.
2 November 2025
Nobody Wants to Be First. The Old Brain Wants to Be Next.
Nobody actually wants to be first. We say we do. We celebrate the pioneer, the disruptor, the bold early adopter. But when it comes to actual behavior…
25 October 2025
Why Some Brands Get Ignored at First Glance
Raymond Loewy was responsible for some of the most recognized visual identities in the twentieth century. The Lucky Strike cigarette package.
20 October 2025
Why Customers Decide to Trust You Before You Speak
There is a moment that happens before every sales conversation, every first meeting, every proposal review. It takes less than a second.
15 October 2025
Your Customers Are Not Trying to Win. They’re Trying Not to Lose.
Most sales strategies are built backwards. They are built on the assumption that customers are motivated by gain. Better features, higher returns, improved…
12 October 2025
More Options Mean Fewer Sales. Here’s the Counterintuitive Proof.
The study is deceptively simple. Researchers set up a tasting booth at a grocery store and offered shoppers samples of jam.
10 October 2025
Stop Asking Your Customers What They Want. They Don’t Know.
Billions of dollars in market research rest on one faulty assumption. The assumption is that if you ask people what they want, they can tell you accurately.
7 October 2025