Here's something interesting. It's a rewritten press release about a BBC documentary, so I can't vouch for the science, but the story is that the brains of die-hard Apple users respond to the sight of Apple products in much the same way that devout believers react to religious imagery.
I don't doubt this for a moment. Over the years it has become increasingly obvious to me that humans have some kind of hard-wired "belief center" in our brains. What it evolved for, I can't guess. In most traditional societies it is satisfied by religious faith.
But in the post-religious society of the wealthiest countries, faith has faded. And instead . . . well, people seem desperate to fill that void with something else. They latch onto New Age quackery, messianic politicians promising hope, all-encompassing conspiracy theories, political movements, and -- apparently -- consumer brands. Rather than deplore this "cult of Apple" I'd like to applaud it. Quasi-religious devotion to a product line is the least harmless alternative I can think of.
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