What draws us to certain styles, things, and types of people?
Why do we prefer what we prefer? Lately I’ve been thinking that “personal taste” is somewhat illusory; what different people “like” is actually a simple algorithm based on age, gender, and cultural trends. The majority of two to five year old girls in the United States like the color pink, fairies, and Disney princesses. (Gender stereotyping? Sure, but also observation.) Hipsters “like” single gear bikes. Hippies “like” hummus. And so on …
Beneath (or maybe mingled with) these broad demographic probabilities lies our real personal taste. For most of us, it (luckily) overlaps with the zeitgeist — others are compelled to wear Renaissance Faire clothes to work every day.
Casual Friday?
For a myriad of biological and cultural and indeterminate reasons, we find ourselves with a set of strong and weak preferences toward various foods, clothing styles, people, types of work, activities, and situations. How important is it to pay attention to these preferences?