How Pleasure Works

1. Pleasure is deep: We value things based on their perceived essence

What matters most is not the world as it appears to our senses. Rather, the enjoyment we get from something derives from what we think that thing is.

Essentialism drives pleasure. Humans are natural-born essentialists, believing that things have an invisible essence that makes them what they are. This applies to our understanding of both the physical and social worlds. Our pleasure in something is often based not on its superficial properties, but on what we believe about its deeper nature or history.

Examples of essentialism in pleasure:

• A painting's value changes dramatically if we believe it's by a famous artist
• Food tastes better when we think it's expensive or made with high-quality ingredients
• People pay fortunes for objects touched by celebrities
• We're disgusted by things that look like bodily fluids, even if we know they're fake

This essentialist view affects how we experience pleasure across various domains, from food and sex to art and consumer products. Understanding this can help explain many seemingly irrational human behaviors and preferences.

2. Food preferences are shaped by culture and essentialism, not just taste

Food is a particularly moral domain. There are some things that you shouldn't eat.

Cultural influence on food. While humans have some innate taste preferences, such as a liking for sweet and a dislike for bitter, most of our food preferences are shaped by culture. What's considered delicious in one culture may be disgusting in another. This explains why some cultures eat insects or dogs, while others find the idea repulsive.

Essentialism in food preferences:

• People prefer "natural" foods over "artificial" ones, even if they're chemically identical
• The appeal of organic and locally-produced food often goes beyond taste
• Cannibalism in some cultures is motivated by the belief that eating someone transfers their essence
• Even young children show essentialist thinking about food, believing that a food's history affects its edibility

These essentialist beliefs about food can lead to both positive and negative outcomes. They can motivate healthier eating habits but also lead to irrational fears about certain foods or food technologies.

3. Sexual attraction is influenced by evolutionary factors and individual essence

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.

Evolutionary influences. Sexual attraction is partly shaped by evolutionary factors. Men and women have different mating strategies due to differences in parental investment. This leads to universal patterns in what people find attractive, such as youth and symmetry, which signal reproductive fitness.

Essence in attraction:

• People are attracted to specific individuals, not just their physical properties
• We care about a potential mate's sexual history and genetic relatedness
• Even identical twins are seen as distinct individuals by their romantic partners
• Capgras Syndrome, where people believe loved ones have been replaced by impostors, shows how much we care about a person's perceived essence

However, human sexuality is more complex than just evolutionary drives. We're capable of love, long-term pair bonding, and attraction based on personality and individual qualities. This blend of biological impulses and higher-level cognition makes human sexuality unique in the animal kingdom.

4. We attach special value to objects based on their history and perceived essence

If you ask someone how much she would pay for a coffee cup, and suppose she says $5. You take the money and hand over the cup, and then ask how much she would take to sell the cup back. The rational answer would be $5—or maybe a bit more to pay for the trouble of passing it back and forth. But the mind doesn't work that way; people usually won't take $6 for it. Its worth increases radically. It's different now. It's hers, and this raises its value.

The endowment effect. People tend to value objects more highly once they own them. This is not rational from an economic standpoint but reflects our essentialist thinking about objects. We imbue objects with a special status based on their history and connection to us.

Examples of essentialist valuation:

• People pay huge sums for celebrity memorabilia
• Children become attached to specific toys or blankets
• We value gifts based on who gave them to us
• Family heirlooms are seen as irreplaceable

This tendency can lead to both positive and negative outcomes. It can create meaningful connections to our past and loved ones, but it can also lead to unhealthy attachments to material possessions or difficulty letting go of things we no longer need.

5. Art and performance derive value from the creative process behind them

As performances, works of art represent the ways in which artists solve problems, overcome obstacles, make do with available materials.

Art as performance. The value of art isn't just in its physical properties but in our understanding of how it was created. We appreciate art as a display of human skill, creativity, and problem-solving. This is why original artworks are valued more highly than perfect copies.

Essentialist thinking in art appreciation:

• Forgeries lose value once their true origins are revealed
• Performance art derives meaning from the artist's actions, not just the end result
• We're fascinated by the creative process behind artworks
• Even children show sensitivity to the history and intention behind art

This view of art as performance extends to other domains as well, such as sports and music. We appreciate these activities not just for their end results but for the skill and effort that goes into them. This essentialist view of creative works helps explain why we continue to value human-created art in an age of AI-generated images and music.

6. Imagination allows us to experience pleasure from fictional worlds

Imagination is Reality Lite—a useful substitute when the real pleasure is inaccessible, too risky, or too much work.

The power of imagination. Humans have a unique ability to derive pleasure from imaginary experiences. This capacity allows us to enjoy stories, daydreams, and virtual worlds. Our emotional responses to these imaginary scenarios can be almost as strong as our responses to real events.

Features of imaginative pleasure:

• We can experience emotions from events we know aren't real
• Fictional characters can feel like real people to us
• Imaginary worlds allow us to safely explore dangerous or taboo scenarios
• Daydreaming and fantasy provide an endless source of free entertainment

This ability to find pleasure in imagination is likely an evolutionary accident, a byproduct of our capacity for planning and social cognition. However, it has become a central part of human culture and experience, driving industries like literature, film, and video games.

7. The appeal of aversive experiences lies in safe practice for real-world challenges

Just as play-fighting involves thrusting oneself into a situation that would be dangerous if real, our imaginative play often takes us into situations that include elements that would be unpleasant, sometimes terrible, if they existed in the real world.

Safe practice theory. Many seemingly paradoxical human pleasures, such as horror movies or spicy food, can be understood as forms of safe practice. We're drawn to controlled doses of fear, pain, or disgust as a way of mentally preparing for real-world challenges.

Examples of safe aversive experiences:

• Horror movies allow us to experience fear in a safe context
• Roller coasters provide a controlled dose of danger
• Spicy food gives us a safe way to experience pain
• Sad stories let us practice dealing with loss

This theory helps explain why people seek out experiences that seem unpleasant on the surface. It suggests that what looks like masochism may actually be an adaptive behavior, helping us build resilience and coping skills for real-life challenges.

8. Our essentialist tendencies shape modern pursuits like science and religion

Many people, perhaps all of us, are consciously aware that there is something more to the world than what we perceive. There is an underlying reality that we want to make contact with.

Seeking deeper reality. Our essentialist tendencies drive us to look for deeper meanings and hidden truths in the world around us. This impulse underlies both scientific inquiry and religious belief, two seemingly opposed ways of understanding the world.

Essentialism in science and religion:

• Science seeks to uncover the hidden laws governing the universe
• Religion posits unseen spiritual realms and beings
• Both offer ways to make contact with a reality beyond everyday experience
• Even non-religious people often feel a sense of awe at the "numinous"

This essentialist drive helps explain the universal human tendency towards spiritual or philosophical thinking. It suggests that the impulse behind religion is not necessarily irrational, but rather an extension of our natural cognitive tendencies. Understanding this can help bridge the gap between scientific and religious worldviews, recognizing them as different expressions of the same human desire to understand the essence of reality.

Last updated: January 24, 2025