“flavor-nutrient” conditioning—the idea that we like what makes us feel good, even if we do not know it.

psychologists have argued that we try to avoid any post-decision choice malaise (What if I really wanted the fish?) by increasing our liking for what we have chosen (Oh, this pasta is divine!) and boosting our disliking for the unpicked alternative, a kind of built-in system to avoid perpetually experiencing buyer’s remorse.

Stephen Palmer, a professor of psychology at the University of California who directs the Visual Perception and Aesthetics Lab,

Exposure to people, as much as food itself, influences our liking.

As we eat something, we begin to like it less.

“unmotivated preferences,”

appetizers for the brain.

“nine-point hedonic scale”

“Prefeeling”