The mere-exposure effect has been demonstrated time and time again. Take this experiment, for example. A group of researchers studied a college class that had met regularly for a semester. At the end of term, they showed everyone pictures of not just their classmates but other people they had not met before. Guess who everyone liked better? The people they were familiar with.
That’s the mere-exposure effect at play.
Also known as Fluency and Familiarity, this is a psychological phenomenon that predisposes us to like things and people merely because we are familiar with them.
Think of it as a “lubricant” to the brain circuitry. Every time we see the same thing, the “circle” becomes more “lubricated,” easier to process. Thus, the more we see someone, the more likeable we find them to be.
The same goes for art. The more often we gaze at a picture, the more we grow to like it. That–along with the Endowment Effect–explains why we tend to overvalue what we already have.
When a picture has been hanging in our living room for years, and we’ve glimpsed at it every time we’ve sat down for dinner, we’ve naturally programmed our brains to like it more. We’re ready to justify and glorify its aesthetic appeal even if, objectively speaking, it’s of average quality.
Familiarity breeds appreciation.
Perhaps that’s the scientific explanation behind the phrase that art is “an acquired taste.” Because it really is.
Can you think of a time when this has happened to you? I certainly can.
Irrationally yours,
Dan Ariely
