Macs Make You More Creative

In an article found here they found that...

"Apple is for creative types. If that fact has not been burned into you brain yet, it's a pretty remarkable thing indeed, according to a new study. The idea is, in fact, so indelible that the mere sight of an Apple logo may cause you to think more innovatively. Ah, to be sheep.

New research published in the April issue of the Journal of Consumer Research shows that quick (even unnoticeable) exposure to well-known brands has the potential to cause people to act in a way that mirrors the brand's values. Researchers chose to measure the effects of the Apple logo (branded to represent innovation and creativity) versus the IBM logo (associated with tradition and responsibility).

The study, conducted by professors from Duke and Waterloo universities, gave 341 university students a visual acuity test, during which was flashed either an Apple or IBM logo. The exposure to the logo was so brief that even when offered $100 to identify which logo they'd seen, no one was able to. Participants were then asked to think of uses for a standard brick (other than building a wall), a task designed to measure how creative their thinking had become. Those who had seen the Apple logo came up with more unusual and creative uses for the brick than those who'd seen IBM. (I know I'm staring at a Windows PC right now, and I've got nothin' beyond "make a paperweight.")

A follow-up experiment tested Disney and E! Channel brands, and found that participants exposed to the Disney Channel logo behaved much more honestly than those who saw the E! Channel logos.

Other tests to the theory may include (one can only hope):
• Does Almond Joy really make you feel like a nut, whereas Mounds does not?
• Can Sunny-D actually brighten your mood more than the "purple stuff"?
• Will Jiff make a mom choosier more so than Skippy, which just makes them prancier?
• Does Visa make you feel accepted, and AMEX make you feel like an outcast?"