Rate this book

How Pleasure Works: The New Science Of Why We Like What We Like (2010)

by Paul Bloom(Favorite Author)

3.57 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0393066320 (ISBN13: 9780393066326)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: Perhaps I am biased, but I have a particular fondness of psychology books - the study of human mind always boggles me. Why do we behave in this but not that way? Why do we like something but not other things? Why do we get pleasure in doing something? Apart from the hand-waving excuse "human nature" or the Darwinian evolution theory, there must be some deeper, down-to-the-root reasons for this, and this book is an excellent book to attempt answering that.Paul Bloom's writing is easy to follow and understand with illustrations by examples from his own research (he's a child psychologist). From the physical needs (food, sex) to abstract concepts (daydream, religion), Bloom talks about how the seeking of pleasure plays a great role here. When evolution theory is not enough to... more explain (for example: why human enjoys tragedy more than comedy), how our minds perceive the world and imagine stuff can explain that. We click "Like" or "Retweet" on social networks everyday without really knowing why we like them. Human nature is weird, quirky and irrational. There is no absolute explanation but it is always a pleasure to find this out, isn't it?
review 2: Interesting premise, but the way Bloom tries to draw in the reader with a discussion on cannibalism was a little unsettling to start off with. The ideas were interesting but repetitive. The concepts (basically, that objects and pleasures have non-physical essences that we humans care about) as well as the supporting studies Bloom described (such as those about children and intuitive essentialism) made this worth reading, but the quality of writing made it a bit of a drag. less

Download links for: How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like

Advertising