What does the reptilian brain have to do with car manufacturing?
A lot of factors go into our decisions to purchase a car: affordability, reliability, availability and several others are likely among the top few for many consumers. But there’s no denying that our cars are also a statement about our personality. A sensible four-door sedan sends a different message than a minivan, and a sexy little sports car sends a different message than an SUV. But that sports car and SUV have more in common than meets the eye: Both of them appeal to the reptilian part of our brains. While we don’t have actual lizards living in our heads, the reptilian brain is the deepest part of our brain, or the “gut level.” And according to Dr. G. Clotaire Rapaille, the founder of Archetype Discoveries Worldwide (a firm that studies how shoppers choose new cars), this part of our brain controls survival functions, including hunger, breathing, and
