Food for thought
nr.
8
winter 2014
Theme: Seduction.
Seduction is as old as humankind. The Bible describes Eve’s temptation, but not only people practise the art of seduction or allow themselves to be tempted. In the animal and plant kingdoms too, countless examples of seduction can be observed; some more successful than others. Birds sing or dance beautifully, male spiders offer gifts to their intended partner, and flowers tempt insects with delightful smells, colours and nectar. Appearance matters when it comes to seduction; that much is clear. Of course it is not the only thing that matters, but first impressions do count. Centuries ago Dutch poet Jacob Cats quipped ‘Een oud vel vrijt niet wel’, translated as ‘Rimpled skin does not make love very well’. He was right: after all, don’t
we easily discard a shrivelled apple or potato? At first, intrinsic values do not come into seduction – we save that for later. It is about first impressions: behaviour, appearance, smell, or a combination of these factors. One thing is certain: our behaviour is generally not rational; especially not when it comes to seduction. Everything revolves around patterns of expectation and perceptions. Can we influence those? Yes, but then we should definitely not react too rationally. Or rather, manipulate feelings rationally. Fortunately, enough is now known about the workings of the brain to make that possible. Response?
Read on… Thinking vs feeling, the role division in our brains. Do not underestimate emotion nor overestimate reason! A question of perception, everything revolves around patterns of expectation. The allure of a low price. On the demand side there is not much to win with it. Appearance and aroma. Our eyes and nose play an important role in determining our opinion on many issues. BioFach, make an advance appointment now. Heineken. A large business pays attention to the smallest details when it comes to seduction. Alluring shapes. We are building a new website. Relationships: always personal. We handle products and brands in the same way as people – we project characteristics on them.