Once I had this girl that was breaking up with me. I foolishly thought I could talk her out of it.
If you’ve ever wanted to “break up” with anybody, you know that a logical argument would never, ever convince you otherwise.
Once you’ve decided you want to end it, not much will change your mind.
At least on a logical level.
It’s kind of like when you decide to eat a cheeseburger, instead of some celery. Once you’re mind is made up, there’s not much logic can do.
The truth is that very little can sway us on a logical level.
Sure, if you’re in the middle of a math test, or trying to choose the right tool to build a birdhouse, using conscious logic is the best choice.
But most of the time, we are emotional creatures.
Most of the time, this is pretty good. Relationships, relaxing moments, delicious food, good movies and stories that we can lose ourselves in, all of these are fantastic emotional experiences. As are their opposites.
After all, who wants to go through life having to coldly calculate the cost and benefits of every single decision? That would be horribly boring.
As you read these words, and think back to some of the most wonderful experiences of your life, you’ll notice that ALL of them are almost pure emotions.
But sometimes these emotions can be used against us. Fear, worry, anxiety are frequently used by marketers to spur us to action.
So can promises of status, sexual desire, and social recognition.
“Buy this product and become a hero, don’t buy it and suffer a horrible wrath.”
Advertisers and marketers count on us going through life without really knowing what we want.
That way, our buttons are much easier to push. Since we don’t choose what we want consciously, we rely on our “factory programming,” where we seek the basics. Food, shelter, companionship, sexual fulfillment.
As well as avoid the basics. Danger, hunger, embarrassment, being left behind, losing social status.
What’s worse is most of these hit us when we least expect it. While we’re relaxing on the couch, watching our favorite TV show.
That’s when we’re WIDE OPEN for manipulation by crafty advertisers. When we are most vulnerable to our buttons being pushed.
Ever wonder why we buy so much junk we don’t really need?
Of course, there’s two ways to resist this. One is to consciously choose what you want. That way, it’s much more difficult to be manipulated.
Two is to understand what our common human triggers are, so nobody can push them against your will.
You can learn both here: