31 Ways Marketing Has Messed With Our Brains

We’re pretty much bombarded with commercials everywhere we look — whether we’re driving down the highway, waiting for a bus or just taking a seat on a bench in the park. Even previously commercial-free streaming services like Netflix seem to be hinting at the inevitable return of the most tried-and-true method of getting us to spend our hard-earned money on stuff. 

What’s more interesting than the commercials themselves, though, is the way they darkly manipulate us. Case in point: Does that ice cream look appetizing? Hope you enjoy cold mashed potatoes, because that's what you’re actually looking at. Here are a bunch of other ways companies have messed with our brains…