Attraction

Why are we attracted to things?

Take me for example. I personally love the color orange. It's not like I have a genetic predisposition toward light with a wavelength between 590 and 620 nanometeres and a frequency between 480 and 505 terahertz. If that were true, then there must have been some genetic marker that tells the "liking the color orange" trait to only point to a specific generation, and that the pattern of generations isn't even consistent. That's too unlikely.

I do have a theory as to why we are attracted to things. For example, there is no logical or survivalist viewpoint from which you can say that playing video games is essential to reproduction or continuing to live. So why am I partial to video games? My theory is that inherently, they aren't attractive. If video games were inherently attractive to human beings than everyone would play them, the same way that (almost) everyone wears clothes. I think that people are attracted to things for one of three reasons: 1. It would be advantageous from a logical, reproduction-centered, or survivalist standpoint, 2. genetic reasons (this more applies to disliking) , or 3. because we're bored.

Humans famously require stimulation in order to feel fulfilled. When a human is lacking in stimulation, it is its main goal to find some. When a human turns to things for stimulation, anywhere from just noticing a color or using something marketed to overcome boredom, they make a connection between that thing and stimulation. Thus, whenever under-stimulated, we jump to that connection. This is my theory, at least.

This explains why games are so universally popular, when really all they are is pressing buttons or moving things around. They provide stimulation, whether that be through the complex movements, the complex gameplay, or the complex concepts imbued in the game. This also explains why it is hard to find a game that has no complexity whatsoever, and why it is near impossible to find a popular game of that kind.

The way the genetics one works is very simple. Take being afraid of the dark. In the past, if we couldn't see with our eyes, we didn't know what was there. Uncertainty is very very very closely associated with fear, and so our ancestors were afraid of the dark because of the uncertainty it cause and the fear the came with it. This trait, of being afraid of the dark, became necessary for survival, probably due to the debilitating fear it filled people with (along with the fact that it was necessary for sight and by extension life). This trait became completely widespread, and to this day humans are more fond of the light than the dark. Humans are also genetically afraid of pale skin, sharp teeth, and red eyes. That may seem all well and good, but ask yourself this: what did we see that gave birth to that trait?