Humans are creatures of habit. They pick the same route, go to the same places, and perform daily tasks in an almost ritualistic manner. As a result, they see and hear the same things every day, which is considered the environment. The environment is the external surroundings that a person is placed in. When the brain is exposed to the same environment constantly, the conscious mind starts to acknowledge the presence less and less. Eventually, the unconscious mind takes over, resulting in “the numbing effect.” The conscious isn’t aware of it, but the unconscious mind is continuously taking notes of the environment and affecting the behaviors. Culture, however, is based on ideas seeded deeply into an individual, where the beliefs affect a person’s
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Watters expresses through GlaxoSmithKline that a person’s behavioral change is more internal, which is why the company tries to change the Japanese culture itself. Changing the culture and the way depression is view would provide a better market for Paxil. However, Gladwell defines the Power of Context as “an environmental argument” (Gladwell 156). This means that the Power of Context is more of an external force, as defined in the first paragraph. Gladwell points out that it’s the little things that are absorbed into the unconscious, causing someone to act in a certain manner. On the contrary, Watters’s essay uses more internal factors that determine behaviors. GlaxoSmithKline uses cultural aspects such as the news of Princess Masako used antidepressants in order to change the way one perceived its culture rather than the environment itself (Watters 526). The idea of behavioral change is similar between the two writers, but the manner in which the change is proved contrasts. As a result, Watters’s essay on cultural change can be supported by Gladwell, but only to the extent that behavior changes through a certain …show more content…
GlaxoSmithKline uses the enforcement of depression in order to normalize it in society. As mentioned in the second paragraph, information on depression was spread throughout the Internet for rapid distribution. One advertisement is described as “‘intentionally ambiguous and ill-defined, applicable to the widest possible population and to the widest possible range of discomforts.’” (Watters 525) By creating an advertisement so vague, it relates to the consumer in one way or another. It feels more personal, and is therefore more likely to remain in the consumer’s mind. Gladwell portrays this as The Stickiness Factor, which is described as “a message so memorable that it sticks in someone’s mind and compels them to action” (Gladwell 161). The Stickiness Factor illustrates how a Japanese consumer watching these general advertisements may act. As the ad plays, the consumer recalls how he or she has been feeling down for the last few days and remembers the feeling of emptiness as explained in the video. The idea that he or she may have depression due to these “symptoms” sticks to his or her mind and pushes for action. GlaxoSmithKline implants these ideas into the mind and eventually alters the manner in which the Japanese demographic views depression. Gladwell’s definition of the Stickiness Factor assists in supporting cultural changes occurring as a result
Watters expresses through GlaxoSmithKline that a person’s behavioral change is more internal, which is why the company tries to change the Japanese culture itself. Changing the culture and the way depression is view would provide a better market for Paxil. However, Gladwell defines the Power of Context as “an environmental argument” (Gladwell 156). This means that the Power of Context is more of an external force, as defined in the first paragraph. Gladwell points out that it’s the little things that are absorbed into the unconscious, causing someone to act in a certain manner. On the contrary, Watters’s essay uses more internal factors that determine behaviors. GlaxoSmithKline uses cultural aspects such as the news of Princess Masako used antidepressants in order to change the way one perceived its culture rather than the environment itself (Watters 526). The idea of behavioral change is similar between the two writers, but the manner in which the change is proved contrasts. As a result, Watters’s essay on cultural change can be supported by Gladwell, but only to the extent that behavior changes through a certain …show more content…
GlaxoSmithKline uses the enforcement of depression in order to normalize it in society. As mentioned in the second paragraph, information on depression was spread throughout the Internet for rapid distribution. One advertisement is described as “‘intentionally ambiguous and ill-defined, applicable to the widest possible population and to the widest possible range of discomforts.’” (Watters 525) By creating an advertisement so vague, it relates to the consumer in one way or another. It feels more personal, and is therefore more likely to remain in the consumer’s mind. Gladwell portrays this as The Stickiness Factor, which is described as “a message so memorable that it sticks in someone’s mind and compels them to action” (Gladwell 161). The Stickiness Factor illustrates how a Japanese consumer watching these general advertisements may act. As the ad plays, the consumer recalls how he or she has been feeling down for the last few days and remembers the feeling of emptiness as explained in the video. The idea that he or she may have depression due to these “symptoms” sticks to his or her mind and pushes for action. GlaxoSmithKline implants these ideas into the mind and eventually alters the manner in which the Japanese demographic views depression. Gladwell’s definition of the Stickiness Factor assists in supporting cultural changes occurring as a result