UKC

I can understand why the odour or taste of something might be pleasurable as it may be something we can eat and be good for us, but why do we enjoy certain landscapes, a waterfall, a flower, or a certain arrangement of notes that makes music?
Just wondering if anyone knows a bit about evolution or as some insight in to how we are wired that would explain this? Theres probably a good answer but in my sleep deprived state, all I can do is generate more questions!

In reply to Pesda potato:

We are probably drawn to certain landscapes as fertile areas that provide food.
Music wise, most animals have some kind of mating call so it could be related to that.

In reply to Pesda potato:

suggest reading book called Mountains of the Mind

In reply to Pesda potato:

aesthetic pleasure develops perception skills that are good for hunting etc?

In reply to Pesda potato:

Why do we like cripsy food? What's the crispness of anything got to do with pleasure?

In reply to RX-78:

To each their own. I found it rather jejune, though that perhaps points out that we might add literature to the OP's list.

T.

In reply to Pesda potato:

Fascinating question. Ramachandran has speculated in detail on this and it's quite interesting but I didn't think very compelling:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroesthetics

I might be wrong, but I don't think at the moment the science is very well developed - give it a few decades!

In reply to Pesda potato:

It's a strange one. Mozart can make me smile:

youtube.com/watch?v=i2uYb6bMKyI&

or inspire something like dread:

youtube.com/watch?v=JS9hS-PW8Rg&

Bach can make me feel things I can't even put a name to:

youtube.com/watch?v=mGQLXRTl3Z0&

AC/DC make me feel energised, Eno is calming - the list goes on. It's overly vague, but I'd hazard that music is the language of emotion.

Re visual pleasure, there's evidence that we have a strong preference for symmetry, although this does nothing to explain your examples of landscapes and waterfalls.

It's a fascinating question you've raised, and I don't have answers. It would be interesting to hear from someone who does.

In reply to Dax H:

Good guess, but it doesn't explain the widely appreciated beauty of deserts, or coral reefs, or the mountains of the moon.

In reply to Pursued by a bear:

Hi, I mainly suggested the book as it implies that what is visually pleasing is not a constant, so our love of the mountain view may not be explainable by reference to evolution (hard wired in). Hence also audio, e.g. difference between western and some eastern musical traditions.

In reply to Pesda potato:
I heard an interesting piece on R4 recently about how studies have found that dislike for dissonance in music is a taught reaction
A quick google -
http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/07/music-to-our-western-ear...