Let’s get stuck straight in. From part one I explained how the 4 fs have been genetically bread into us over millions of years. These are the characteristics that have been, until now, the most successful in allowing the genes that we carry to be passed on to the next generation. The four fs are used each and every day to influence and persuade us and we are actually pretty much helpless those who use them against us. That is unless we understand and have a awareness of how and when they are used.
The four fs are:
- Fight
- Flight
- Food
And you guessed it…
- Finding a Partner
Over years and years of evolution the genes that make their human carriers adept at deciding and whether to fight or run away (flight) from danger have allowed these people to live longer and (potentially) reproduce with more mates.
The ability to find and identify wholesome and nutritious food has lead to the survival of not just the carrier but also any infants that he or she is raising.
And finally the ability to attract and mate with a member of the opposite gender is obviously the key factor.
Now how does this all come together to help us in our influence and persuasion efforts.
Finding A Partner
Well this is the very reason that the old advertising adage “Sex sells” is so true. It sells because it is how the genes that we carry have survived through the generations. These genes have hardwired us to take notice of anything related to finding and mating with a member of the opposite sex.
Think about it for a second. If you didn’t take a healthy interest I identifying a good quality member of the opposite gender to mate with, would the genes that you carry ever survive more than a generation? Of course not.
This means that only genes that endow their carriers this hard wired instinct to find and reproduce with a partner have made it this far and that is why “Sex Sells”.
For example, as a male we see a picture of an attractive female and we immediately take notice. Step one the advertiser has got your attention. But not only do we take notice of the female but we also take notice of the product she is promoting. Step tow the advertiser has sneaked in a message.
This technique is doubly cleaver as we have now anchored i.e. linked in out mind, that product to finding a beautiful female. So the female made us take notice and then caused us subconsciously to link owning the product to finding a beautiful mate. Very clever. (Anchoring is used by influence professionals all the time. I’ll create a post about this in the future some time.)
Further points to consider
How much of the advertisements on TV are related in one way or another to one or more of the 4 fs. Food adverts probably make up about a third of those adverts on TV and why are so many people in the developed world fat.
Could it be that our primitive minds are still in the find food state that they would have had wired in over millions of year but our conscious mind are struggling with the reality that we no longer need to eat as much food as we can. That is a conflict if ever I saw one and it looks like our hard wired genes are winning!
How many times do politicians harp on about safety, security, avoiding danger, etc in their speeches. Do you think they do it because we are hard wired to take notice of thing related to spotting and avoiding danger. It's very interesting, don't you think?
Until next time,
Jason D.
Total Influence And Persuasion
No comments:
Post a Comment