3 ms·
It isn't a bug. It's an unavoidable consequence of two facts: 1. There is variation in pleasurability of stimuli. 2. Experience of pleasurability is relative
by CuriouslyC 9y ago
It isn't a bug. It's an unavoidable consequence of two facts:
1. There is variation in pleasurability of stimuli.
2. Experience of pleasurability is relative, rather than absolute.
So if your baseline for some sensation is 10 units on an absolute scale, experiencing 10 units of that sensation feels normal, and 5 units is probably uncomfortable. However, if your baseline was 5 units, it would feel completely normal and 10 might be uncomfortable.
You can see this in action with the hedonic treadmill. New pleasurable stimuli initially make you happy, but after a while you adapt, and to get a thrill you need to push the envelope farther. Additionally, once you're adapted, losing that pleasurable stimuli is actually painful, even though you were just fine before without it.