Understanding the ‘Hunter’ Brain

General ‘Hunter’ Traits

Hunters are action-orientated. They are the courageous, dominant, driving people we often think of as ‘natural leaders.’ They are not shy or usually modest. They have a highly competitive nature, are challenge-oriented, extremely focussed and decisive. The Hunters are driven by an inner need to be in charge and win.

Hunters are motivated by their survival instinct. They strive to be the biggest, fastest, strongest, most successful and the best, believing that success comes from how much you are and how much you have. Hunters will have developed positive and negative behaviours that ensure they become powerful and get what they want.

We all have some Hunter in us because this crucial part of our Mammalian Brain ensured that the most physically strong, agile and aggressive of our ancestors survived in a world full of physical dangers. The Hunter brain is still the first area to develop in babies and small children enabling them to get exactly what they need from others. All parents know how quickly a child’s Hunter Brain can learn how to use controlling and aggressive behaviour to get what they want as well as what they need.

The Hunter Brain also controls and develops motor skills and physical growth enabling us to explore the world and learn how to eventually get what we want and need for ourselves. Children with a highly developed Hunter Brain are strong-willed, very active and adventurous who often have a high pain tolerance. Rather than play happily with others they will prefer to either dominate the group, or set off on their own to do something that will impress others and single them out for praise. At school Hunters usually excel at sport particularly in activities where they can win accolades and stand out as a high achiever.

In their professional lives Hunters love to work hard, often thriving on crises and controversy. They need to be rewarded and admired for their efforts, if not, they will have no qualms about resigning and working for the competition, or setting up in business on their own. They are frequently frustrated when others are not as able, or motivated as they are, and they are not good at hiding that frustration. So, they may look at, or speak to others in a derogatory way. Hunters are quite happy and often relish being by others as the bad guy. As far as they are concerned it’s about how successful you are in business rather than how nice you are to others.

Their direct and outspoken manner can often be regarded as rude, hurtful and arrogant by others. In business Hunters are the most likely of the 4 brain types to break or bend the rules to get what they want.

Watch this short video clip of the ‘Hunter Brain’ in action.

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