(Read Part 1 of this article here.)

Let’s delve a bit more into the brain’s reward circuitry, because ultimately marketers want to not just catch attention, but also leave people with a positive feeling. When a person finds a design element attractive—say, they think a foil-stamped package looks beautiful, their brain can respond in some of the same ways as it does to other pleasurable experiences. Neuroaesthetics research (the science of what happens in the brain when we experience beauty) has shown that viewing artwork or aesthetically pleasing images can activate the orbital frontal cortex and ventral striatum, regions linked to pleasure and reward evaluation. In the context of print embellishments, this means that a visually pleasing shiny design might trigger a mini “reward response” in the viewer’s brain. We’ve already seen how touching print activates the ventral striatum’s anticipation-of-reward circuitry. It’s likely that seeingsomething particularly eye-catching can also engage the dopaminergic system, especially under conditions of novelty or surprise.

There is also a psychological reward in the impression of luxury or quality. Humans are very sensitive to cues of status and value (an evolutionary trait from living in social groups where resources and hierarchies mattered). Shiny, gleaming objects have long been associated with rare or precious materials (gold, jewels, polished stones)—things that confer status. Thus, part of our positive reaction to a shiny foil on a brochure may be a conditioned or innate response that “this is valuable.” One study on consumer perception found that people rated products with glossy, reflective packaging as more attractive and high-quality, even when they couldn’t verbalize why. The authors noted that the effect of shininess on attractiveness was not solely due to assumptions about cost or effort, it seemed to have a direct sensory appeal that translated into liking. This suggests that beyond rational thought, a glossy finish itself gives the brain a little hit of positivity. It’s the same tiny thrill some of us get from shiny new gadgets or a sparkly new car, our brains interpret gloss as a reward cue.