Ownership in Basketball

While reading Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, there were many themes that stuck out to me and found interesting.  One topic that Dan Ariely discusses is people and ownership. He found that, "The more work you put into something, the more ownership you begin to feel for it" (Ariely, 175). I think that this is completely true especially when I reflect on myself, especially when I am making quilts.  Ariely also made a point that, "Ownership is not limited to material things.  It can also apply to points of view or an idea--like sports" (Ariely, 175).  When I read that sports can be something that people take ownership in I immediately thought about the March Madness basketball tournaments.  I am not a huge basketball watcher but I have watched my boyfriend and his residents (He is an RA) and how they have responded to the current tournaments. All I have been listening to them talk about is what is happening in their brackets and screaming at the top of their lungs at their TVs.  It's crazy to see people get so worked up about basketball. One of my boyfriend's residents on his floor (and also his next door neighbor) was cheering alone in his room at the top of his lungs saying things like, "Let's go (team name here)!!" He chanted this over and over until someone else from the floor went and pounded on the kid's door telling him to shut up.  Then the cycle would just repeat again after a few minutes of silence.  It has been funny to see how these boys have claimed their teams and brackets and taken so much ownership in the madness. It has been interesting to see how Dan Ariely's observations in his book have become evident in other real life examples.

Nike Fuel Band--Brainstorming

Last Thursday I went and listened to the people from R/GA talk about the Nike Fuel Band. Wade Convay gave the most insight about the development and brainstorming process of the Fuel Band.   When they first started the project, they wanted the fuel band to become something that people grab when they walk out the door, “Keys. Phone. Wallet. Fuel band.” He talked about how his team used a storyboard method and put sticky notes on a board to brainstorm the fuel band product. He also mentioned that the team looked to other ideas on how to brainstorm for the fuel band.  Brainstorming creates new ideas, solves problems, motivates and develops teams. Brainstorming motivates because it involves members of a team in bigger management issues, and it gets a team working together. Brainstorming is a crucial part of the development of any product in order to create something that consumers want to purchase and use.

  

The Brainstorming Process.... 

1. Define and agree the objective.
2. Brainstorm ideas and suggestions having agreed a time limit.
3. Categorize/condense/combine/refine.
4. Assess/analyse effects or results.
5. Prioritize options/rank list as appropriate.
6. Agree action and timescale.
7. Control and monitor follow-up.

www.businessballs.com/brainstorming.htm 

The Power of Suggestion---Hypnotism

In Chapter 11 of Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, the power of suggestion is brought up and discussed in terms of medical placebos (Ariely, 230).  I found this chapter a little concerning because placebos can be unethical in my mind at times. He mentioned the study a doctor did where he conducted placebo surgeries on patients. I think I would be a little ticked off if I found out later that I paid for the doctor to make a small incision in me and not do anything to me but just sew it right back up.  He talked about how in this placebo surgery experiment the doctor discovered that the real procedure did not actually help the patients and they felt the same as the people that underwent the placebo surgery.  When I read the words "power of suggestion" it immediately reminded me of hypnotism. Even though Ariely does not directly hit on the topic of hypnotism in his book I would be curious to see if his thoughts and this topic are somehow related.  

According to one website I found, "The American Psychological Association describes hypnosis as a cooperative interaction in which the participant responds to the suggestions of the hypnotist. Hypnosis has  been clinically proven to provide medical and therapeutic benefits, most notably in the reduction of pain and anxiety. It has even been suggested that hypnosis can reduce the symptoms of dementia". So hypnosis isn't just all fun and games at fairs and in Vegas, it could be beneficial mentally and physically.  After reading about some of the positive effects of hypnotism I started wondering if it wasn't just another placebo. In hypnosis people respond to the suggestion of the hypnotist and with placebos people respond to the feeling (stated on a pill bottle or by a doctor) one should expect from like a pill or operation. For instance, if people know they are going to experience less pain after being hypnotized do they really experience less pain or do they just think they are feeling less pain? Kind of interesting to think about.... I find hypnotism really interesting and I think Dan Ariely should do an experiment about people that are hypnotized.  

The video below is kind of interesting if you don't think it is really real, at least it is entertaining! 

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

After watching Bend It Like Beckham in class, I started thinking of other movies that possessed similar themes.  One of the movies that I liked growing up was My Big Fat Greek Wedding that came out in 2002.

If you haven't seen this movie I recommend it, its pretty funny.  It is about a Greek woman living in Chicago, named Toula.  Toula's father wants her to marry a nice Greek boy.  In the movie, Toula ends up falling in love with a non-Greek man (Ian) and sneaking behind her family's back to date him. Her family ends up discovering her secret and her father is especially angry about her secret love life. Toula's father ends up accepting Ian and Ian has to learn to accept Toula's family. The clip below is how Toula's father reacted to her announcement of her engagement to Ian.

One theme in the movie that become very apparent early on is conformity.  According to the textbook conformity is "a change in beliefs or actions as a reaction to real or imagined group pressure" (Solomon, 2013, 414). One example of conformity in My Big Fat Greek Wedding is when Ian is baptized in a Greek church in order to marry Toula and gain respect from her family.


Another theme that is apparent in this movie is social power.  Social power is "the capacity to alter the actions of other" (Solomon, 2013, 407).  In the movie the Greek culture is portrayed to have a big portion of their diets consist of meat.  When Toula tells her aunt that Ian is a vegetarian and does not eat meat her aunt is really confused by the idea, but quickly responds that instead of meat she will make lamb.  This is an example of how Toula's aunt tries to alter Ian's actions in order to conform to the rituals of their Greek family.

If you have not seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding I recommend it because it has many themes similar to Bend it Like Beckham.  The idea of groups of people and cultures is embedded into the movie and pop up frequently.