Yesterday I wrote:

It was one of those statements that, after I wrote it, I had to stop and consider, “wait, can I actually back that up?” I think I can. Here’s my line of reasoning:

Motifs are defined by repetition, which inherently makes them a form of pattern, and patterns—as anyone teaching them to a toddler can tell you—are all about the building of expectations.

Let’s do an experiment. What follows next in this pattern?

A A A __

If you said A, you’re wrong. It’s actually B.

Okay . . . so what comes after A A A B __?

If you said B, you’re wrong again. It’s actually A.

Alright, I’ll give you the rest of the pattern now:

A A A B A C A D A E A F A G A . . .

Ah, now you can figure it out. Feels good right? And it feels even better if I tell you that the next in sequence is, indeed, H.

Phew.

This is how motifs and patterns are tied to emotion. Thwarted expectations produce negative emotion, while realized expectations produce positive emotion.

So . . . what emotions are produced by the brand motifs of your business or the patterns of your content?