Central Argument: We like things more because of the psychological thoughts in us about what we are doing than because of the physical features.
Unlike other organisms, we humans have this ability to think. It’s fascinating how our thoughts can determine what we want, like, and so on. Sometimes, we tend to like things not because of the physical appearances or surface characteristics but because we simply like the logic or abstract such as pathos behind them. In the article, Why We Like What We Like, Alva Noë talks about how our minds and thoughts are the true factors that make us like any particular thing. And the more I experience, I feel this is true. We like things because we perceive things in certain ways.
One experience that really made me agree to this idea of liking things because of what we are doing was the one at orphanage. The kids seemed dirty whether they were well-dressed or not. They just looked different. On the surface, they might not seem to be those kids who I can hang around together naturally. However, once I started playing with them, I started liking them. They were such cute, little innocent kids I have ever met in my entire life. In the end, I even hugged them when saying goodbye. When I look at the pictures, I still find them very poor and dirty on the outer appearance, something that I’m not very fond of, but because the pictures remind me what I did with them, I smile and miss those times I spent with those lovely kids.
My first boyfriend was the one who made me realize even more that thoughts about what we are doing really determine what we like. Just the fact that I am with him, that I can talk to him… that I can smile, eat, and walk with him made me like the person him. Maintaining long-distance relationship, we couldn’t really spend time together at one place; but when I got a phone call from him, I was happy more than any other time of the day. On the surface, it’s just merely a phone call. However, because of the thought that I will be hearing my beloved’s voice and listen to his day stories, I get excited and I like to get phone calls.
Another example to prove the psychological impact of our likings is the story of my cousin sister. She hates capsicum. She will never eat anything if there’s a tiny little piece of capsicum put into her plate. One day, she refused to eat anything because she saw her mom put capsicum during the meal preparation. So, her mom cooked something else, promising that she wouldn’t put any capsicum into the food. Her mom, however, was smart enough to grind the capsicum to show as if no capsicum was added. So, my cousin sister had no idea about capsicum being mixed into the yummy-looking food in her plate. She took a spoon and said that that was the most amazing dish she has ever tasted. She likes the food because she thinks that there is no capsicum in the food. Her thoughts made her like capsicum unconsciously.
My experiences with orphanage kids and boyfriend, and my cousin sister’s experiences clearly support that thoughts actually do determine what we like. Whether consciously or unconsciously, we tend to like things because of the way we perceive and accept things. I believe this is such a gift that we can interpret things in the ways we believe in; it proves that we are special, different from all other living organism by having the ability to think and have different perspectives.
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