Consumers are both cultural and biological beings.
While many consumer preferences, needs, and desires vary across cultural environments, many are often similar.
This is because these preferences, needs, and desires represent common consumer instincts.
Sometimes, consumer differences across cultures are themselves rooted in biological forces (in other words, nature shapes nurture).
Our common biological heritage, shaped by the dual evolutionary forces of natural and sexual selection, unites us as members of what we call a consumer planet.
Ultimately, recognizing the evolutionary roots of our consumer instincts can greatly help us understand our shared preferences, needs, and desires as humans.
---「Chapter 1.
From “Humans are living beings”

Consumer behavior is ultimately largely about sex.
The act of choosing a partner itself can be considered the ultimate consumer decision.
Humans are commodities in the mating market.
We advertise ourselves to potential future partners through products that serve as sexual signals (cosmetics, high heels, luxury cars, perfume, hairstyles, plastic surgery, etc.).
Women shop for good genes, deciding when and with whom to have sexual intercourse, or searching for desirable traits at sperm banks or online dating services.
Men are crazy about pornography, but women prefer erotica or romance novels.
Men put a lot of effort into courtship rituals and prepare engagement rings.
They engage in uncontrollable, conspicuous consumption to show off their social status, which is 'not inferior to others'.
Men also take a variety of risks, including short-term stock trading, extreme sports, and gambling.
---「Chapter 3.
From "I Live to Show Off"

In its most basic sense, clothing serves the function of protecting us from the external environment, such as wind and rain, and thus helping us survive.
But today, few people think of clothing in such a restrictive way.
The main purpose of clothing and fashion in particular is to satisfy our desire to express our individuality.
Ultimately, our clothes and accessories are signals to the world about who we are.
We express our individuality through our countless fashion choices.
It may sound paradoxical, but fashion also caters to our innate need to belong.
That is, by adopting a particular style, we want to show that we belong to one of the countless fashion subcultures.

---「Chapter 5.
From "Living for Friends"

Beyond entertainment news, we can study sensational news (headlines) to determine which stories capture our attention and elicit our emotions.
How do news outlets determine which stories are newsworthy? I believe stories that serve key evolutionary purposes (survival, mating, kinship, reciprocity) will receive significant coverage.
News about predator attacks, natural disasters, and violent crimes reflect our concern for survival (or death).
News about infidelity certainly fits our preoccupation with mating issues.
Horrifying tales of infanticide and heartwarming tales of long-lost siblings reunited tell of a key evolutionary driver of kinship.
Finally, news of heroic acts of courageous physical risk (such as jumping into a river to save a stranger) or remarkable generosity (such as a retiring CEO leaving his company to his employees) reflect a key evolutionary driver called reciprocity (altruistic behavior toward non-kin is generally rooted in the desire to establish reciprocal bonds).

---「Chapter 6.
From “Living with Culture”

Humans suffer from numerous anxieties.
The most powerful of these concern evolutionarily important issues such as death, love, sex, parenting, diet, health, status, and social influence.
So it's no surprise that countless hope mongers have historically exploited this evolutionary anxiety, peddling various "safe-for-all" solutions to desperately desperate audiences.
Religion guarantees us eternal life.
Cosmetic companies promise forever young skin.
The mantra that beauty is a social construct asserts that we are all equally beautiful in our own way.
New Age healers claim to have the perfect cure.
Self-help books offer solutions to every ailment, desire, need, and need.
All these means of promise form a belief system, like a religion.
Therefore, it is easy to capture the human mind, and very difficult to eradicate.

---「Chapter 8.
From “I Live for Hope”

Why do men commit sexual misconduct that can ruin their careers and destroy their families? Why do men cheat on women who are exceptionally attractive and sensual? I believe the most appropriate answer to these questions is a saying that has now entered the hall of proverbs:
“Show me a beautiful woman and I will show you a man who is tired of sleeping with her.”
---「Chapter 9.
From "Living to Buy"

I hope that more scholars who study consumers, and indeed business studies, will ultimately realize that the human mind is a product of sexual and natural selection.
They will then see evolutionary theory as a theoretical framework that can help enhance the explanatory power of their research in economics, organizational behavior, advertising, or consumer behavior.

---「Chapter 11.
From “Living is an instinct”