You may not think so, but the truth is you are selfish. We all are. However being selfish is not necessarily a bad thing, as in the truest sense of the word, being selfish means you act and think from your own point of view.
For example, when you eat some food you don’t eat it because you think your friend looks hungry, or think that your co worker could do with a bite to eat. No. You eat because YOU are hungry, and by doing so you are acting from your own selfish point of view. Driven by a desire to change one feeling (i.e. hunger) into another (i.e. full).
Selfishness And Media Manipulation
Advertisers and the media know this personality characteristic very well, and try their hardest to exploit it. Ever see ads like “Are you overweight?” or “Are you currently in debt” then give us a call or buy this product and everything will be magically better!
O.K, I am dramatizing slightly, but the basic principles used are the same. In an advert, advertisers will first make a statement designed to attract your attention, and conjure up an emotion associated with that statement.
Controlling Your Actions, By Controlling Your Emotions
They will then present a solution to change that emotion, into a more desirable emotion you would prefer. For example, you feel depressed about your weight, but you see an advertisement for a gym in your area. So you decided to purchase a membership to the gym.
Even if you don’t use that membership very much, or even at all (like most people who purchase gym memberships) at the time when you bought it you still felt better about yourself for doing so.
Don’t Underestimate Selfish Desire!
So the selfish desire, which is a motivation to act from your own point of view, driven by a desire to change one feeling to another, is an extremely important factor to recognize in life. One which many overlook.
Once you are aware that advertisers specifically target peoples desire to change emotional states, you will be better equipped to deal with the various advertising techniques used against you. As this simple principle (controlling how you act, by influencing how you feel), comprises the majority of techniques used in the media, and its importance should not be underestimated.
Selfishness Motivates Behaviour!
So being selfish is a primary motivator of human behaviour. In reality everyone thinks about what they want first, before they think about you. So if you are able to give people what they want, ultimately you will be able to get what you want. However should you fail to fulfil their selfish need, getting someone to do something for you, or give something to you, can prove to be very difficult indeed. So always give people what they want, and you will get what you want!
