“Add to Cart: How Your Brain Gets Hijacked Before You Even Know What You Want”

Meghalaya: Where My Brain Finally Took a Break

It was supposed to be a break.

Not a life-changing, soul-tickling, perspective-smashing retreat. Just a break.

A few days away from work, Wi-Fi, and the dopamine-dripping trap called Instagram. Some clean air, maybe some rain, and a lot of silence. That was the plan.

But Meghalaya had other plans for me.

I ended up in a remote village, halfway up a cloud-wrapped hill, where the locals lived like time had stopped somewhere in the 1980s — not in fashion, but in freedom. No notifications. No billboards. No Google reviews for their tea. And absolutely no “This ad will end in 5 seconds” interruptions.

Just smiles. Simple food. Conversations without agenda. Kids who weren’t trying to be YouTubers before they hit puberty.

And somewhere in the middle of this zero-bar zone, a strange calm took over my mind —a silence I hadn’t known in years.

And that’s when it hit me. I wasn’t relaxed. I was detoxed. Mentally.

Not from stress — but from external influence.

That invisible pressure to buy, like, watch, share, follow, upgrade, swipe, subscribe...It had vanished. Because there was nothing — and no one — pushing it.

And suddenly, I remembered something I often say to others (and occasionally forget myself):

“Your mind is not just thinking. It’s constantly reacting to what’s being sold to it.”

And in our world today, almost everything is trying to sell something — not just products, but beliefs, fears, trends, even identities.

And so, in the quiet hills of Meghalaya, without a single sales pitch in sight...I finally saw how many I had swallowed without even noticing.

That’s what this blog is about.

Let’s go shopping — inside your brain.

Your Brain: A Beautifully Hackable System with No OTP

Let’s get something straight before we go any further:

There’s nothing wrong with your brain. It’s a brilliant, billion-year-old survival machine. It can solve complex problems, write poetry, make biryani without a recipe, and even hold in laughter at a serious meeting (most of the time).

But here’s the catch: It wasn’t designed to filter truth from manipulation. It was designed to keep you alive.

Which means it’s fast, emotional, shortcut-loving, and reward-hungry. Perfect for survival. Absolutely delicious for marketing.

Let me break it down like a menu:

🍬 1. It loves rewards — especially quick ones (Hello, Dopamine)

You see “Only 2 items left!” or “Limited time discount!” and suddenly your brain goes full tribal:

“BUY. HUNT. CLAIM. SURVIVE.”

It’s not shopping. It’s ancient foraging, wearing a credit card.

🐑 2. It trusts the herd

“90% people chose this! ”Boom. Decision made. Because if others are doing it, it must be safe, right?

Your prehistoric brain thinks:

“They’re all running toward it? Must be food. Or safety. Or Shah Rukh Khan.”

⏳ 3. It hates uncertainty

We evolved to avoid confusion and ambiguity — and so when a product says:

“This is THE solution ”Your brain exhales and says: “Finally. One less thing to think about.”

It doesn’t want a complex analysis. It wants peace.

😱 4. It reacts faster to fear than to logic

Show someone a logical comparison chart? Mild interest.

Show them “This one mistake could cost your career”? Heart rate: +30. Brain: Click now before doom strikes.

🍔 5. It loves repetition

The more you see something, the more your brain accepts it as familiar, and therefore true. You didn’t need that protein bar. But after 18 ads, your brain quietly whispers:

“Maybe I do... for recovery. Of something.”

As a mind trainer, I’ve learned something painfully hilarious:

“The untrained mind is like an unlocked phone in a public place. Anyone can install their app in it — and you won’t even check the permissions.”

And that, dear reader, is why your brain — brilliant as it is — is also a marketer’s paradise.

From Cave Walls to Algorithms: The Evolution of Influence

I’ve always believed marketing didn’t start with Apple or Amazon. It started the day one caveman pointed to his stone wheel and grunted:

“Mine better. You drag less.”

And the other guy — who’d just invented fire — replied:

“Cool. But can your wheel roast wild boar?”

Boom. The first cross-selling campaign.

Since then, we’ve just added tools, glitter, and digital creepiness.

Let me walk you through the greatest con game in human history: Selling things people didn’t ask for — and making them feel like they must have it.

🪨 Stone Age: Word of Mouth and Reputation

No posters. No influencers. Just "Ayyanar’s honey is best, don’t trust Gopi, he waters it down.”

Simple. Pure. Even marketing had values.

🏛️ Ancient Civilizations: The First Product Placements

In ancient Egypt, kings engraved themselves on everything — walls, coins, even soapstone.“Look, I built this. I’m powerful. Also, buy wheat.”

📣 Town Criers & Scrolls (Medieval Times)

People shouted offers in town squares: “Fresh bread! No fungus!” “New swords! Slightly used!”

It was noisy, but honest.

📰 Print Revolution: Propaganda with Fonts

With newspapers and posters came emotional headlines and sales language. Early 1900s ads:

“This toothpaste will make you marriage material.”

Basically, insecurity = business.

📺 TV Era: The Golden Age of Emotional Manipulation

Brands realized: If you make them feel, they’ll buy.

• Crying babies sold diapers.

• Shiny cars sold manhood.

• Soap sold self-worth.

“Don’t just clean your body. Clean your shame.”

📱 The Internet: Where Personalisation Meets Invasion

Cookies started tracking you like an overprotective ex. Search for “shoes”? Suddenly even your fridge wants you to buy sneakers.

Click. Scroll. Click. Like. Buy. Repeat.

🤖 The AI Era: The Brain Doesn’t Even Know It’s Being Sold To

You think you chose that YouTube video?

No. It was curated — by an algorithm that knows more about your sleep cycle, cravings, and emotional triggers than your mother.

AI doesn’t show you products. It shows you yourself — and slides in a product while you’re admiring your reflection.

As a mind trainer, this gives me goosebumps and giggles at the same time.

“They’re not selling a product. They’re slipping into your mental DMs and ghostwriting your desires.”

And yet, the scariest part isn’t them. It’s us.

🪤 Why We’re Easy Prey: The Mind’s Default Weak Spots

Sometimes, I like to believe I’m a smart, mindful individual. And then… I find myself buying a ₹799 “eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush stand” because it said “limited edition.”

We’ve all been there.

It’s not that we’re stupid. It’s that we’re wired.

Let me introduce you to some of your brain’s default settings — the ones marketers have studied better than any school syllabus.

🔸 1. Scarcity Bias – “Last Chance” = Must Buy

Our ancestors lived with real scarcity: food, shelter, sabudana.

So now, when a website flashes “Only 3 seats left!”, your brain doesn’t say:

“Hmm, let me evaluate this rationally.”

No. It says:

“HUNT IT. BOOK IT. BEFORE THE OTHERS STEAL IT.”

🔸 2. FOMO – Fear of Missing Out on Other People’s Imaginary Happiness

If 87 people bought it and smiled in photos, your brain goes:

“They’re happy. I must have what they have.”

Even if it's just an overpriced yoga mat with a leaf logo.

🔸 3. Decision Fatigue – Just Tell Me What to Do

Your brain makes over 35,000 decisions a day (yes, including "Should I check WhatsApp now or in 3 seconds?").

So when you're tired, you surrender.

That’s why you choose “Best Seller” or “Most Popular” — not because it’s best… but because it means you don’t have to think.

🔸 4. Social Proof – “Everyone’s Doing It” Must Mean It’s Right

Even pigeons follow the flock. We humans? We just do it with hashtags.

“If 3,000 people bought this face serum, maybe it’ll fix my existential dread too.”

🔸 5. Instant Gratification – We Want Dopamine, Now

Long-term goals? Meh.

Give us “Order in 1-click” and “Same day delivery” — and our inner caveman throws a party.

Your brain doesn’t know it’s shopping. It thinks it’s surviving.

🤯 Mind Trainer’s Insight:

“The problem isn’t that you’re manipulated. The problem is you’re unaware that you’re being manipulated.”

When your default mind is running the show, any ad can become a command.

And here’s the thing…

Marketers know this. Platforms are built on it. And algorithms… well, they don’t care. They just track, learn, and push.

But what if we train the mind to pause? To see the gap? To ask: “Wait — who made this choice?”

🔐 Building a Mind Firewall: How Not to Get Emotionally Hacked Every Time You Scroll

By now, you know your brain can be:

• tricked by scarcity,

• bullied by algorithms, and

• seduced by someone shouting “Only today!”

  
  

But here’s the good news:Just like you train a puppy not to chew your slippers, you can train your mind not to chew every ad that flashes before it.

Let’s build your Mind Firewall™ — a casual, daily awareness toolkit that can turn a click-happy brain into a mindful ninja.

🧘‍♂️ 1. The 5-Second Pause

You’re about to buy something. Or click something. Or believe something.

Stop.

Count backward — 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 — and ask:

“Do I want this? Or did someone just sell me the feeling of wanting it?”

That pause is your neural firewall loading up.

🪞 2. Watch the Feeling, Not Just the Offer

Next time you see a discount or a reel or a product ad, don’t just look at what it says.

Ask:

“What feeling is this trying to create in me? Insecurity? Urgency? Belonging? Pride?”

If you can name the emotion, you can stop being a puppet to it.

💭 3. Start Noticing Patterns

• Do you shop when you’re sad?

• Do you binge when you’re bored?

• Do you fall for “bestsellers” when you feel unsure?

  
  

Start logging these patterns like a brain detective. You’ll soon see it’s not the product — it’s the state of mind that triggers the purchase.

🧠 4. Train the Prefrontal Monk

Your prefrontal cortex (remember him from our earlier blog?) is your rational, wise, evolved mind.

But he’s often asleep — unless you wake him up with intention.

“Wait. What happens if I don’t buy this?” “What does my future self want, not just my 4:07 PM self?”

This activates your Monk Mind — and tells the inner caveman to chill.

🎯 Mind Trainer Truth Bomb:

“The goal isn’t to escape marketing. That’s impossible. The goal is to meet it with awareness — so your choices are yours, not theirs.”

🏞️ Back to the Hills — And to Yourself

A day after returning from Meghalaya, I found myself in a mall.

I had gone to buy toothpaste. I came back with a Bluetooth speaker, a bamboo pen stand, and an herbal face mist that promised to erase my 30s.

The bill said ₹4,287.The toothpaste was ₹89.

I laughed. Then I sighed. Then I whispered to myself:

“I miss the hills.”

Because up there, nobody was trying to sell me confidence in a bottle. Nobody promised happiness with free delivery. And my mind — that loyal, easily excited puppy — didn’t chase every shiny ball someone threw at it.

It just… sat.

It just… breathed.

And it reminded me:

The world isn’t loud. Our minds are. And when you calm the noise, you see the game.

Marketing is here to stay. So is manipulation. So is that one ad for noise-cancelling earphones you didn’t click but still follows you.

But awareness?

That’s your seat in the hills — no matter where you are.

You can’t delete every distraction. But you can train your mind to recognize when it’s being played — and choose you instead.

So the next time you scroll, shop, watch, like, or choose…

Pause.

Smile.

And ask:

“Is this me speaking... or an ad wearing my voice?”

Next Monday:

When the world shakes, so does the mind. What happens inside our brain during war, disaster, and wild joy? Why do we become heroes, cowards, or lovers — all in the same moment? Next week, we explore the mind in its extreme mode. Don't miss it.