Desires: On Sustenance, Tranquility, Physicality & Order

Herein lie our survival tools and coping mechanisms. From compulsive consumption to the search for zen, these ancient drivers make for odd behavior in modern times.

This is the third in a four-part series on our 16 human desires. Together they comprise desires thinking, a methodology for creating more meaningful, successful brands. Read part 1 here and part 2 here.

Our hardwired human desires are primal, and so are the bare necessities that we all need. For most people on the planet, a home is likely on the top of that list—be it a tent, a camper, a house.

The dwelling is a perfect petri dish for our next four desires: sustenance, tranquility, physicality and order. Home is where we eat, sleep and retreat—where we start and end our days. In recent years, we’ve seen shifting socio-political climates spark “cocooning,” a movement to stay in and self-soothe. This exaggerated emphasis on the nest is behind countless brand movements. To name just a few: the explosion of Netflix binges, self-regulating thermostats and security cameras, doorstop-delivered beds in boxes, Pinterest-perfect décor and luxurious in-home gyms.

It’s fair to say that we’re living in an age of speed, fragmentation and mild chaos. The creating and coiffing of our homes is a display of our desires—our yearning to control what little we can.