We are attracted, whether we know it or not, to the hidden aspects of things and people.

Some teenagers enjoy cutting themselves with razors. Some men pay good money to be spanked by prostitutes. The average Briton spends over a day a week watching television. People slow their cars to look at gory accidents and go to sentimental movies that make them cry.

In this revealing and witty account, Paul Bloom examines the science behind these curious desires, attractions and tastes, exploring one of the most fascinating and fundamental engines of human behaviour. Drawing on insights from child development, philosophy, neuroscience and behavioural economics,How Pleasure Worksshows how certain universal habits of the human mind explain what we like and why we like it.

Paul Bloom is a Professor of Psychology at Yale University. His research explores how children and adults understand the physical and social world, with special focus on morality, religion, fiction, and art. He has won numerous awards for his research and teaching. He is past-president of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, and co-editor ofBehavioural and Brain. Bloom has written for scientific journals such asNatureandScience, and for popular outlets such asThe New York Times, theGuardian, and theAtlantic. He is the author or editor of four books, includingHow Children Learn the Meanings of Words, and, most recently,Descartes' Baby: How the Science of Child Development Explains What Makes Us Human.

The internationally acclaimed psychologist Paul Bloom explores one of the most fascinating and fundamental engines of human behaviour - the new science of why we like what we like.