Sensory Pleasure

Abstract

In response to a stimulus, a sensation is tridimensional: qualitative, quantitative, and affective. The affective part of sensation, pleasure or displeasure, depends on the qualities of the stimulus. Within a narrow range of intensity, chemical, thermal, and mechanical stimuli are able to arouse pleasure. In addition, pleasure depends on the internal state of the subject. This is easily observed in the case of temperature: pleasure is aroused by a warm stimulus in a hypothermic subject and by a cold stimulus in a hyperthermic subject. This property of a given stimulus to arouse pleasure or displeasure according to the internal state of the subject is termed alliethesia. Alliesthesia is also produced by chemical and mechanical stimuli. Acquired preferences or aversions for alimentary stimuli represent a case of alliesthesia. In the same way, the capacity of any indifferent stimulus to become rewarding, or punishing, by association with some reward or punishment, is also a case of alliethesia. In all cases, pleasure is a sign of a stimulus useful to the subject; displeasure a sign of danger. Usefulness and danger are judged by the central nervous system with reference to homeostasis and the set point of the implied regulation. Pleasure and displeasure thus appear to motivate useful behaviors.

Preference differences for sucrose solutions in young and aged squirrel monkeys

“…If subjects ingest successive sweet stimulus portions, judgments of pleasantness decrease throughout the trials. If portions are tasted and rated, but not swallowed, the rating of pleasantness increases with stimulus intensity to a stable plateau (Cabanac, 1979). There were no age differences between the preference functions for glucose or saccharin; however, the stimulus concentrations never exceeded 1.00 M.…”

Thermoregulatory set point in patients with spinal cord injuries (spinal man)

“…Thermal alliesthesia was first defined by Cabanac (I969) as the pleasure/ displeasure sensation aroused by a given temperature stimulus according to the internal thermal state of the subject. A temperature stimulus provokes an affective and a discriminative sensation; the dis criminative aspect is a function of the nature, intensity and duration of the stimulus; whereas the affective part is the amount of pleasure/ displeasure aroused by the stimulus (Young, 1959;Cabanac, 1979). If a subject is offered a set of temperature stimuli, provoking a discriminative sensation ranging from cold to warm, his affective sensation would depend on the skin temperature and the deviation of his core temperature from the thermoregulatory set point (Cabanac, 1969;Cabanac et al, 1971;Strempel et al, 1976;Cabanac, 1979;Engel et al, 1979Engel et al, , 1980 1980-a).…”

“…A temperature stimulus provokes an affective and a discriminative sensation; the dis criminative aspect is a function of the nature, intensity and duration of the stimulus; whereas the affective part is the amount of pleasure/ displeasure aroused by the stimulus (Young, 1959;Cabanac, 1979). If a subject is offered a set of temperature stimuli, provoking a discriminative sensation ranging from cold to warm, his affective sensation would depend on the skin temperature and the deviation of his core temperature from the thermoregulatory set point (Cabanac, 1969;Cabanac et al, 1971;Strempel et al, 1976;Cabanac, 1979;Engel et al, 1979Engel et al, , 1980 1980-a). When cold stimuli are pleasant and warm stimuli unpleasant, body temperature is found to be above the set point; when warm stimuli are perceived as pleasant and cold stimuli as unpleasant, body temperature is below the set point (Cabanac et al, 1971;Cabanac et al, 1976;Attia et al, 1980-a).…”

Verbal Reports and ‘Real’ Reasons: Confabulation and Conflation

“…For example, it is common for incentive factors to awaken drive states, as when the aromatic fumes of the bakery stimulate one's hunger (see Cabanac 1979). Smelling the aroma may thus motivate me to enter the shop and buy a loaf of bread, but it is not my agential reason for doing s, regardless of whether or not I am conscious of the mechanisms at play.…”