




Pleasure describes the broad class of mental states that humans and other animals experience as positive, enjoyable, or otherwise to be sought out. It thus includes more specific mental states such as happiness, entertainment, enjoyment, ecstasy, and euphoria. In psychology, the pleasure principle describes pleasure as a positive feedback mechanism, motivating the organism to recreate in the future the situation which it has just found pleasurable. According to this theory, organisms are similarly motivated to avoid situations that have caused pain in the past.

The experience of pleasure is subjective and different individuals will experience different kinds and amounts of happiness in the same situation. Many pleasurable experiences are associated with satisfying basic biological drives, such as eating, exercise, sexuality, and even defecation. Other pleasurable experiences are associated with social experiences and social drives, such as the experiences of accomplishment, recognition, and service. The appreciation of cultural artifacts and activities such as art, music, and literature is often pleasurable.


Philosophical views[edit | edit source]

Epicurus and his followers defined the highest pleasure as the absence of suffering,[1] and pleasure itself as "freedom from pain in the body and freedom from turmoil in the soul".[2] According to Cicero (or rather his character Torquatus), he also believed that pleasure was the chief good (and, conversely, that pain was the chief evil).[3]


Philosophies of pleasure[edit | edit source]


Neurobiology[edit | edit source]

The pleasure center is the set of brain structures, predominantly the nucleus accumbens, theorized to produce great pleasure when stimulated electrically. Some references state that the septum pellucidium is generally considered to be the pleasure center,[5] while others mention the hypothalamus when referring to the pleasure center for intracranial stimulation.[6] Certain chemicals are known to stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain. These include dopamine[7] and various endorphins. It has been specifically stated that physical exertion can release endorphines in what is called the runner's high, and equally it has been found that chocolate and certain spices, such as from the family of the chilli, can release or cause to be released similar psychoactive chemicals to those released during sexual acts.

Pleasure as a uniquely human experience[edit | edit source]


Masochism[edit | edit source]

Masochists are those who derive pleasure from receiving pain. The existence of masochism complicates the commonly-held view that pleasure, as a positive experience, is fundamentally opposite pain, a negative experience. It should be noted that masochism is context-dependent: masochists enjoy certain kinds of pain in certain situations.

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. The Forty Principal Doctrines, Number III.
  2. Letter to Menoeceus, Section 131-2.
  5. Walsh, Anthony (1991). The Science of Love – Understanding Love and its Effects on Mind and Body, Prometheus Books.
  7. Giuliano, F., Allard J. (2001). Dopamine and male sexual function. Eur Urol 40: 601–608.
  8. Bentham, Jeremy (1996). An Introduction to the Principles of Moral Legislation, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
