There seems to be a special talent behind effective negotiation and bargaining. This short article by Sindya N. Bhanoo describes a recent study on such abilities: “According to a new study in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, skilled negotiators are using extra brainpower to do so.” This is the lead paragraph that comes right after her very first sentence, “Everyone knows someone who bargains extraordinarily well.” This is a good way to start off the article because readers immediately have a mental picture of a mysteriously exceptional negotiator they know (plus the cool image already in the article of a cunning man hiding everything but his eyes behind a hand of cards, who has a huge brain bulging from his cowboy hat). With this picture in mind, it becomes more personal/engaging and the reader is eager to learn more and understand what makes that person so good at what they do. Is their brain particularly special?
The article describes the game the researchers used in the study, quotes a scientist, and then provides a one-paragraph conclusion of the study: “[scientists] found that the strategic deceivers had unique brain activity in regions connected to complex decision-making, goal maintenance and understanding another person’s belief system.” And that’s pretty much all the story offers. At just over six paragraphs in length, the article surely had room to include some more specific details on the study, on scientists’ interpretations and conclusions, on brain activity in those special regions, and on where this kind of skilled deception comes into play in the real world.
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