The Lifeforce-8 and the Conditioned 9: The 17 Human Desires That Drive Every Purchase

From CA$HVERTISING by Drew Eric Whitman — What People Really Want and How to Sell to It

If you want your product to sell like wildfire, stop thinking like a business owner — and start thinking like a biologist.

In his brilliant book CA$HVERTISING, Drew Eric Whitman breaks down the raw human psychology that drives people to open their wallets. He doesn’t just guess. He digs deep into why people buy. And it comes down to two categories of desire:

🔥 1. The Life-Force 8 (LF8)

These are biologically ingrained, hardwired motivators. You didn’t choose them — evolution did. They’re always running in the background, and when your marketing taps into them, resistance vanishes.

Whitman calls them the Life-Force 8, and they’re responsible for more sales than every other desire combined:

1. Survival, Enjoyment of Life, Life Extension
   The need to live longer, safer, and with more pleasure.
2. Enjoyment of Food and Beverages
   We’re drawn to taste, texture, indulgence — and we’ll pay for it.
3. Freedom from Fear, Pain, and Danger
   Remove anxiety and you instantly boost conversion.
4. Sexual Companionship
   The allure of intimacy, attraction, and desirability drives everything from fashion to cars to fitness.
5. Comfortable Living Conditions
   Products that offer comfort — whether physical or emotional — tap into deep biological needs.
6. To Be Superior, Winning, Keeping Up with the Joneses
   Status sells. We want to be better, faster, stronger — or at least appear to be.
7. Care and Protection of Loved Ones
   We spend freely when we believe it helps the people we love.
8. Social Approval
   We crave acceptance. Recognition. Validation. And we’ll buy anything that promises it.

“When you create an advertising appeal based on any of the LF8, you tap into the power of Mother Nature herself.”
— Drew Eric Whitman, CA$HVERTISING

But that’s not all…

🧩 2. The Nine Learned (Secondary) Human Wants

Beyond the LF8, Whitman introduces what he calls the secondary, or learned wants. These aren’t built into our biology — they’re conditioned by society. But they’re still powerful drivers, and often act as support beams in your sales message.

Here they are:

1. To Be Informed
   Curiosity isn’t just for cats — it fuels clicks, reads, and engagement.
2. Curiosity
   Leave open loops. Create mystery. Make them want to know more.
3. Cleanliness of Body and Surroundings
   From hygiene to home care, this taps into a sense of order and self-worth.
4. Efficiency
   We all want to do more with less — less time, less effort, less cost.
5. Convenience
   If you make life easier, you’re making sales easier too.
6. Dependability / Quality
   Trust sells. Period.
7. Expression of Beauty and Style
   We buy identity — and your product is a form of self-expression.
8. Economy / Profit
   Saving money (or making it) is a near-universal desire.
9. Bargains
   Deals create urgency and justify the purchase. Everyone loves a win.

💡 Here’s Why This Matters

You can throw discounts at your audience all day. But if your message doesn’t speak to their deepest desires, it falls flat.

Whitman’s CA$HVERTISING teaches that when your copy strikes a chord with the LF8 or these secondary wants, you don’t have to “sell” — you simply show people how your product satisfies something they already crave.

And that’s what makes copy feel irresistible, emotional, and natural.

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Final Word: Write for the Brain, Not Just the Wallet

Understanding what people really want gives you an unfair advantage. It’s not manipulation — it’s empathy, turned into strategy. As Whitman says, “Advertising is persuasion. And persuasion starts in the mind.”

Want to sell more? Start where your customer’s decisions begin.

Inside their desires.
Inside their brain.
Inside CA$HVERTISING.