Paul J. Zak is a professor at Claremont Graduate University and is ranked in the top 0.3% of most cited scientists with over 180 published papers and more than 19,000 citations to his research. Zak’s two decades of research have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 50 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea.  Along the way he helped start a number of interdisciplinary fields including neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing.  He has written three general audience books and is a regular TED speaker. His latest book, Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and Source of Happiness (2022), identifies the neurologic basis for extraordinary experiences and uses 50,000 brain measurements to show readers how to create high-impact marketing, entertainment, training, customer experiences, and employee experiences.  The book shows that extraordinary experiences drive up customer lifetime value and provide the neurologic foundation for increased individual happiness. Zak’s other books are Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High Performance Companies (2017) and The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity (2012).  Trust Factor applies neuroscience to efficiently build high-performance organizations by creating a culture of trust. The Moral Molecule received much attention for Zak’s discovery of the key role played by the neurochemical oxytocin to explain virtuous behaviors and happiness. Dr. Zak's Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Paul-J.-Zak/author/B005VWO61G - Website and live online programs: http://ims-online.com Blog: https://blog.ims-online.com/ Podcast: https://ims-online.com/podcasts/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesagood/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/charlesgood99 Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:22) The Nature of Good and Evil (02:16) The Neurological State of Immersion (06:03) Technique: Creating Extraordinary Experiences (08:06) Tool: The measurement of extraordinary experiences (10:11) Tip: Optimizing corporate training through immersion (11:46) Tool: The role of technology in creating extraordinary experiences (15:48) Technique: The importance of narrative arcs in creating immersive experiences (17:04) Technique: Measuring brain activity to predict market outcomes (18:02) The value of immersion superfans and how to find them (21:02) Tool: Three Dimensions of Immersion to influence other people’s behaviors (24:17) Technique: Creative Immersive Peaks with breaks (27:08) Technique: Curating Immersive Learning Experiences (29:59) Tool: The 20-20-20 rule for immersive experiences (32:40) Technique: Crafting emotionally compelling experiences (34:03) The narrative structure and call to action in TED talks (37:13) Tip: The importance of creating value and peak immersion experiences for the audience (39:18) The power of framing stories and social purpose (44:04) Paul’s Container Store story (48:12) Tool: The SIRTA Algorithm for Influence or Persuasion (50:20) Key Takeaway (51:29) Conclusion