Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and the Source of Happiness

Love this book! I quoted Paul Zak in my own book because his insights are applicable to influencing others.

As a young filmmaker I worked with Marshall McLuhan, the guru of media, who turned me on to thinking about why audiences went into a trance when watching an engaging movie. My career blossomed to Oscar Nominations, and I wrote and Produced many films including Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Always fascinated by the evolutionary context of story. Paul Zac's latest book, Immersion, is a feast of discovery and intelligence. His personal curiosity and unique research has resulted in revelations of what it actually happening in our brains, as opposed to what we may think we are feeling. This work is a tactical handbook on new techniques for making communications more effective. And a warning to those who employ self reflective questions - asking like or do not like - as a method of testing effectiveness. - It can be stunningly inaccurate. To the evolutionary curious like me Paul Zak's biological discoveries are deeply intellectually stimulating.

Nobel laureate Niels Bohr famously said that “prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” Too bad Niels didn't live enough to read “Immersion. The Science of the Extraordinary and the Source of Happiness.”In it, neuroscientist Paul J. Zak, tells us how to predict the effectiveness of advertising, entertainment, and retail shopping experiences. Even how to improve our education and training. Zak’s knowledge goes beyond theory: he presents his information using examples of projects in which he has applied Immersion throughout his life. And the range is wide: from working with Hollywood to create optimal trailers to helping Shiseido develop the perfect cosmetics commercial.After reading Immersion, I can predict that you will have a much better understanding of how our brain works and the factors that turn the regular into the extraordinary.

For those who are tired of dopamine society and looking for new ways to stay tuned into (long-term!) extraordinary experiences.Thanks, Dr. Paul Zak, for your life dedication, passion, and research on oxytocin. Many years passed, and a wave of critique too: "It’s not trust," "It’s not love,"… but what is it, and why does oxytocin have a big chapter in the new post-growth world?What a story at the beginning! You never know where ordinary scientists could research, right?😅 Recommend this book from the bottom of my heart❤️

Zak is a leader in the field of understanding how hormones in the brain affect our mood. He has been a shining light in the field of oxytocin research, helping to understand and frame how hormones help us cope with life. Now in his new book he gets to the heart of the matter and addresses the science of happiness itself. Finally we are making inroads into real understanding of what makes us happy and, once again, Zak is at the forefront of helping us to make sense of the data. Highly recommended!

Dr. Zak is a pioneer of neuroeconomics and his book is another highlight of this field. The organic integration of reasoning, examples and data makes this book sophisticated and comprehensive. In particular, the comprehensiveness made it easier for me to digest and practice.I feel that this book is almost a tool book, because I can quickly connect real life scenarios with the content of the book. This really brings an additional layer to my thought process. Therefore, I highly recommend this book!

This book spoke to me at so many levels. For one, it really provided a knowledge base for me to understand the economic events that are happening around; secondly, it resonated with my career in pursuing product development. This is almost a guideline and calling for re-analyzing the product and service design from a different angle, backed by solid data and science. This is one of the few intellectual gems in business and economics!

This is another captivating book by Dr. Paul Zak! Like his other books, this does a great job using fun stories about unique research to explain what characteristics about experiences work to really tickle the brain. We all want better experiences, and I’m hoping the right people get ahold of this book so we can start having more of them! Anyone creating content and experiences needs this guide!