16 Human Desires and How To Use Them

Dear Friend and Subscriber,

I’m always on the lookout for new ways of understanding the human brain. The simple fact is that most of what presents itself as science in the field of psychology is garbage. But there is gold to be struck out there.?

I was perusing the internet, as I tend to do, when I came across something called the 16 Basic Desires Theory. True to the name, the theory states that all human desire can be divided into 16 categories.?

The theory is the brainchild of Steven Reiss, a retired Ohio State psychology professor.?

The categories are as follows:

1. Acceptance- the need to be appreciated
2. Curiosity- the need to gain knowledge
3. Eating- the need for food
4. Family- the need to take care of one’s offspring
5. Honor- the need to be faithful to the customary values of an individual’s ethnic group, family or clan
6. Idealism- the need for social justice
7. Independence- the need to be distinct and self-reliant
8. Order- the need for prepared, established, and conventional environments
9. Physical activity- the need for work out of the body
10. Power- the need for control of will
11. Romance- the need for mating or sex
12. Saving- the need to accumulate something
13. Social contact- the need for relationship with others
14. Social status- the need for social significance
15. Tranquility- the need to be secure and protected
16. Vengeance- the need to strike back against another person

I’m sure we could nitpick this list if we wanted to. But for copywriting purposes, this seems pretty comprehensive. Every headline I’ve read since finding these 16 desires fits in well.?

When writing copy for your next project, try to pick out the 2-3 desires your product satisfies and speak to those desires. For instance, when a guy buys a fast car, he’s fulfilling desires like social status, power, and even romance.?

And if you’re willing to think outside the box, you might realize your product satisfies desires you never thought of before.?

Sincerely,

Sean Ryan