Chapter 25
Sensations
There are three types of sensation: rewards, coercions and punishments.
Rewards are positive effects triggered by the presence of sensory stimuli. Pleasing taste is triggered by the taste of food.
Coercions are negative effects triggered by the absence of sensory stimuli and stopped by its return. Hunger is triggered by the absence of food and stopped by its return.
Punishments are negative effects triggered by the presence of sensory stimuli. Disgust is triggered by the smell of animal toxins, like fecal matter.
Non-sexual sensations can be triggered at birth or within a few months of birth. Sexual sensations cannot be triggered until puberty. Cute cannot be triggered until 33 months.
Sensations fall into four categories of purpose: survival, sexual, social and scenic.
Rewards are positive effects triggered by the presence of sensory stimuli. Pleasing taste is triggered by the taste of food.
Coercions are negative effects triggered by the absence of sensory stimuli and stopped by its return. Hunger is triggered by the absence of food and stopped by its return.
Punishments are negative effects triggered by the presence of sensory stimuli. Disgust is triggered by the smell of animal toxins, like fecal matter.
Non-sexual sensations can be triggered at birth or within a few months of birth. Sexual sensations cannot be triggered until puberty. Cute cannot be triggered until 33 months.
Sensations fall into four categories of purpose: survival, sexual, social and scenic.
There are many survival sensations. Survival rewards include pleasing taste, pleasing odor, pleasing scenery and warmth. Survival coercions include hunger, craving, thirst and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Survival punishments include bitter, sour, disgust and pain.
Survival sensations encourage eating and avoiding physical harm. Survival rewards reward you for eating. Survival coercions coerce you to eat. Survival punishments punish you for detecting toxins or suffering trauma.
Eating and avoiding physical harm are the only behaviors that help your survival. All other behaviors harm your survival to help your genes or your group.
Survival sensations encourage eating and avoiding physical harm. Survival rewards reward you for eating. Survival coercions coerce you to eat. Survival punishments punish you for detecting toxins or suffering trauma.
Eating and avoiding physical harm are the only behaviors that help your survival. All other behaviors harm your survival to help your genes or your group.
Sexual pleasure consists
of eight different sensory rewards: visual/audible pleasure, penile pleasure,
penile orgasm, vaginal pleasure, female nipple pleasure, male nipple pleasure,
clitoral pleasure and clitoral orgasm.
Most sexual sensations encourage mating. Sexual pleasure primarily rewards men for mating. Lust coerces men if they do not. Repugnance punishes men for courting kin.
Most sexual sensations encourage mating. Sexual pleasure primarily rewards men for mating. Lust coerces men if they do not. Repugnance punishes men for courting kin.
Social sensations encourage kin interaction. Affection and cute reward you for interacting with kin. Loneliness coerces you if you do not. Kin interaction transfers knowledge to future generations.
Scenic sensations encourage exploring for new scenery. Excitement rewards you for finding new scenery. Boredom coerces you if you do not. Exploring for new scenery helps groups expand their territory.
Happiness Dissected is a more practical version of The Origin of Emotions.