How Pleasure Works

The New Science of Why We Like What We Like

By: Paul Bloom

Narrated by: Jeremy Johnson

Length: 7 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Yale psychologist Paul Bloom presents a striking new vision of the pleasures of everyday life. The thought of sex with a virgin is intensely arousing for many men. The average American spends over four hours a day watching television. Abstract art can sell for millions of dollars. Young children enjoy playing with imaginary friends and can be comforted by security blankets. People slow their cars to look at gory accidents and go to movies that make them cry.

In this fascinating and witty account, Paul Bloom examines the science behind these curious desires, attractions, and tastes, covering everything from the animal instincts of sex and food to the uniquely human taste for art, music, and stories. Drawing on insights from child development, philosophy, neuroscience, and behavioral economics, How Pleasure Works shows how certain universal habits of the human mind explain what we like and why we like it.

Listen to our Free Interview: Susie Bright Speaks with Paul Bloom, Author of How Pleasure Works.

©2010 Paul Bloom (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Common place

The book has an interesting story about fake Vermeer paintings sold to Goering but besides that is a common place. The ironic and patronizing tone is contradictory with the known information.

Misleading title & disappointing book

I found "How Pleasure Works" by Paul Bloom very disappointing. First of all, the title does not cover the content at all. The book should have been called "The essentials of Essentialism", as that it what the author discusses over and over again (would have been OK to get the main ideas of that in 30 minutes). There are very few new ideas in the book, and the author does not seem to fully comprehend (or give credit to) Plato's ideas, group selection in evolutionary biology, or "confirmation bias" (Kahneman).

I tried listening to the book, and got about halfway through before aborting my mission. What put me off (besides the misleading title and the author missing the point on some key ideas) is that he seems to be obsessed with the topic of cannibalism (hoping to sell more books with stories of blood and violence?) and inserts Biblical quotes at random that do not add anything to the story whatsoever.

I recommend that you turn to much more valuable books on evolutionary biology and/or behavioral economics if you want to learn How Pleasure Works!

Unengaging.

I love the topic. But its just boring. I catch myself more often drifting away listening to this.

So, so repetetive

What disappointed you about How Pleasure Works?

Slow, droll, had high hopes for this one, but couldn't finish the audiobook.

What was most disappointing about Paul Bloom’s story?

The repetition was too monotonous

Would you be willing to try another one of Jeremy Johnson’s performances?

no

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

no

Any additional comments?

don't waste your credit

Bad Narration

I liked the book and the topic, but the narration is really annoying and hard to get past. If you can keep your focus off the narration and on the substance of the text, it is an interesting book.

More philosophy than scientific rigor

With "new science" in the title, I was expecting more from this book. Although a few research studies are mentioned here and there this is more of a philosophical discussion resolving around an essentialist theory of pleasure than something based on scientific research. The author frequently cites works of fiction (e.g. Shakespeare) and passages from the bible to support his arguments. He also often resorts to hearsay with statements such as "some say that..." for support. The book also contains outdated information, for example that female estrus is hidden from males to promote pair bonding, which has since been dis-proven in laboratory tests that indicate that males can detect estrus. Generally his presentation of conventional model of human sexuality and inequality is outdated.

A waste of time and money

I found the book a collection of opinions and no new scientific insights - if any. Forget neurology, biology; think Liberal Arts, anecdotal evidence, literature and philosophy. To me it was a waste of time with no new knowledge or insights to be had. If you have a very basic level of knowledge and/or education, you may get more out of it - but beware of the opinions vs the science.

The narrator does a decent job and is quite agreeable and understandable. Quite 2x speed compatible.

What's the deal with all the cannibalism?!

I couldn't finish this book. I tried to give it a fair shot. I got a little over an hour or 2 deep.

There's a long chapter discussing cannibalism that just went on and on and on. This was my breaking point! It's not that I'm an overly sensitive type of person. It takes a lot to get a reaction out of me. But this author cracked me.

Also, the tone of the narrator is underwhelming. Not monotone, but on the cusp.

I find something enjoyable out of almost every book I listen to it. This one was just awful. Buyer beware.

Just listen to chapter one

The first chapter introduces some cool concepts but none are developed throughout the book. the remainder of the book is just philosophical contemplation citing the same examples as Thinking Fast and Slow or any of Dan Ariely's works .

Yuck

I was so disburbed after the first chapter that I stopped reading. Bloom seems to be preoccupied with the idea of canabalism as well as other weird fetishes. I had hoped for a light read but got something very different.