Why do we like what we like? The neuroscience behind the objects that please us

Hedonic valuation is, in short, a fundamental biological mechanism. Moreover, it is crucial for survival.

We humans, like other cognitive systems, are sensitive to our environment. We use sensory information to guide our behaviour. To be in the world.

We decide how to act based on the hedonic value we assign to objects, people, situations or events. We seek out and engage in behaviours that lead to positive or rewarding outcomes and avoid those that lead to negative or punitive consequences. We construct our knowledge of the world according to how much we like elements of the environment, and we do so by learning and generating expectations about them.

Hedonic valuation is, in short, a fundamental biological mechanism. Moreover, it is crucial for survival.

For millennia, philosophers and scientists have pursued a common goal: to identify laws that link the properties of objects and the pleasure of perceiving them.

The idea that preference emanates from the object goes back to classical philosophical thought. The Pythagorean school held that the hedonic value of any object lied in the harmony and proportion between its parts. Similarly, properties such as symmetry, balance and the golden ratio have been postulated as determinants of our tastes.

Also Read | ‘Neuroscience needs a breakthrough like discovery of DNA double helix’

This philosophy assumes that hedonic value is inherent to the object. It is therefore expected to elicit predetermined responses in terms of beauty, taste or delight.