The End of the Rational Customer Myth and a New Era of Marketing

This article challenges the traditional model of the rational consumer, pointing to the dominance of affective processes and biological attention mechanisms in the purchasing process. The author analyzes how contemporary knowledge in neuromarketing and behavioral economics debunks the myth of cold calculation, replacing it with the concept of bounded rationality. The text discusses in detail the role of the reticular formation (RAS) in stimuli filtering and the phenomenon of decision paralysis caused by an overabundance of options. Modern research tools, such as eye tracking and EEG, are also presented, which allow for the understanding of preverbal customer reactions. A key conclusion is the need to design an appropriate choice architecture that minimizes the cognitive cost to the recipient. Understanding that emotions are the trigger for action, and logic merely their subsequent justification, is becoming the foundation for a new era of effective sensory and relationship marketing.