Liking

Abstract

Berridge and Dayan outline the psychological and neural basis of the hedonic concept of 'liking', and its relationship with close, but not always consonant, motivational cousin, 'wanting'.

Figure 1.. The brain’s ‘liking’ sites.

Hedonic hotspots (shown in red in this drawing of a rat brain) are subregions of limbic structures where opioid or other neurobiological stimulations can enhance ‘liking’ reactions to a sensory pleasure. By contrast, the ‘wanting’ system (shown in green), involves additional neurochemical systems, such as mesolimbic dopamine, and is neuroanatomically larger, involving additional subregions and structures. Multiple different sensory modalities ultimately influence ‘liking’. Although the hedonic hotspots are not directly connected anatomically, they are functionally connected and able to interact. (Figure drawn by Ileana Morales.)