Why do we like the things we like?

Not much conscious thought was put into play when we decide whether we like or dislike a particular food, a color or a piece of music. Sure, sometimes we would be able to explain the reasons behind our affection or aversion, "it tastes rotten" "it reminds me of pleasant memories with mother". However on most occasions, I believe we couldn't quite put our finger on why a certain thing strikes us as superior. Why do some like durian more than others? Why do some prefer pink but not purple? Why a popular song can be liked and disliked at the same time by so many people?

Inside our complicated human brains, myriads of extrinsic and intrinsic factors intertwine with each other the moment we form an opinion on a specific thing. In this blog post, I would like to discuss some of the elements that contribute to our mighty motivator, which is none other than - pleasure.

"Hmm... this feels familiar so it's easy to like it"

Humans tend to avoid and be afraid of things that are too novel, we have gained this instinct through evolution in order to survive, retreating back to food and objects that did not lead to death. However, if we're repeatedly exposed to a stimulus that we were once unaccustomed to, our perception changes, we will like it better than before. This is called the mere exposure effect, preference as a consequence of familiarity. Apart from that, having known something previously becomes a lesser burden for our brains the next time we encounter it. This increased processing fluency is what contributes to the intensification of pleasantness too.

"I'm really enjoying this glass of Masseto wine dating back to the 1900s. It's one of the most sought-after wines in the world, you know?"

One would be furious when the famous art piece he/she bought turns out to be a forgery. If there are no discernable differences that can be seen by the naked eye, why would one care if it's real or fake? Paul Bloom, a psychologist and professor at Yale suggests that the way we derive pleasure is deeply tied to essentialism. In the words of Bloom, "we don't just respond to things as we see them, or feel them, or hear them. Rather, our response is conditioned on our beliefs, about what they really are, what they came from, what they're made of, what their hidden nature is." You would enjoy something more if it's aligned with your definition of value, whether it's the price (how expensive?), the origin (what is it made from/who owned it?), the age (is it an antique?) or something else. Research has shown how our easily-deceived brains prefer things that are better not by their actual taste, but the price, even when both the cheap and expensive are actually the same thing. (Read: the wine experiment)

"I'm born this way"

According to this article by Bill Sullivan, a professor of pharmacology and microbiology, our genes play a key role not only in determining the colour of our eyes or height but also our preferences and behaviours. Just like how a gene called TAS2R38 recognizes bitter chemicals like thioureas causing certain people to hate broccoli to the bone due to the abundance of thioureas in this notorious vegetable.

It's clear that there are a plethora of intricate factors affecting the way we perceive things in this world of endless choices. It's important to know that while we might not be able to control everything that influences our inclination, we could be more aware of the thought process behind making choices, may they be big or small.