I recently read through an article on marketermilk.com, which is a cool resource a friend just shared with me. The article discussed the big question: how has Disney been so successful? Essentially, what it boiled down to was they offer things that make people feel good.
You might think that sounds superficial, but as I continue to learn more about what sells from a variety of different resources, they all seem to be saying the same thing: people buy with emotion not logic.
As a physical therapist, this made complete sense to me as I considered it. The way our brains are designed support this feeling-over-reason marketing notion, and perhaps more deeply than we may care to admit—both figuratively and anatomically...
Every person has what is called the limbic lobe buried deep inside their brain which is considered to be one of the most "primal" regions of the brain meaning that most, if not all, animals you can think of have it (in some shape or fashion). It it is the region that drives the emotion, motivation, memory, and yes even sexual behavior of a creature. What sets humans apart from animals, however, is our large frontal lobes involved in higher level thinking and impulse control. In fact, damage to the frontal lobe of the brain can lead to disorders where people have difficulty controlling impulses and inappropriate behavior. Basically, our emotions come first and then the rest of our brain is needed to filter it!
This may sound like a disaster... You might ask yourself, am I a slave to my primal instincts? Or, is it only a matter of time before I buy that candy I know isn't good for me? Not at all. Our brains have a great capacity to set goals and are very neuroplastic, which means they have the ability to make new connections and learn.
I believe we can use wisdom and discipline along with learned experiences over time to shape how our primal desires manifest. The entertainment and food industries have long capitalized on quick fulfillment of pleasure to draw people in, but that doesn't mean that the deepest parts of our brain, in connection with the rest of our brain, can't learn a craving for something deeper, higher, and more long lasting.
It does not take much wisdom to recognize that people who eat well and exercise regularly are healthier than those who don't. With discipline, the people who eat well and exercise regularly will begin to experience the deep pleasure and sense of physical wellbeing that are the result of those specific behaviors, and their brain will begin to crave more of it. This is one reason why perhaps some people can get "addicted" to running.
Part of our vision at Zily Creative Works is to examine more deeply what brings humanity delight. Delight is a curious thing, and it comes in many shapes and sizes. Too long has our culture sought delight devoid of the curious introspection needed to find answers that produce lasting satisfaction. Like gravity, humanity has been designed to work a certain way with undeniable attractions and irreversible limits that we often try to cheat. We love the fall but hate the landing.
Sadly, most for-profit companies could care less how you land as long as they get you to fall. At Zily Creative Works we are different. We care how you land. We sincerely long for you to experience delight in a way that lasts and spills over into the lives of others around you because of the joy they see in you. Satisfaction is not simply one click away, nor can it be sold in a bottle, but products can be made with the end in mind using a deeper understanding of what brings humanity delight instead of false or empty promises. Choose to enjoy life in a way that is better and that is in tune with what is made of real substance. Always seek wisdom because you may not actually want what you think you want!
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10
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