Experiences define the way we see the world, and each of the small situations we face daily contributes to shaping our understanding of what surrounds us and determining our behavior. A good taste may simply represent a pleasant palate, but if it is linked to emotional memories, such as a family recipe or an unforgettable trip, that taste comes to represent much more than just flavor. In this way, each person has a subjective understanding of the experiences they live, which makes them unique and capable of feeling and interpreting environmental stimuli in their own way.
This particular understanding of things means that the value attributed to an object is no longer determined exclusively by its material aspect and begins to depend on its ability to evoke positive sensations. For example, receiving a simple gift, but one with great emotional weight, generates positive feelings and makes something seemingly unimportant become irreplaceable. However, if each individual interprets the world according to their particular experiences, what makes certain objects valued and appreciated by a considerable number of people over other similar ones?
To understand this issue, it is necessary to consider that the most direct form of communication from a company to the consumer is through its final product. When we acquire something, we want to receive back the investment we made, exchanging our work for something of equal importance, and when the acquired object has quality and meets our needs, we obtain the return we expected and feel satisfaction. At the same time, the association of a product with socio-environmental initiatives also promotes its value; that is, if we buy something from a company that carries out environmental preservation projects or encourages societal development, we know that we are indirectly contributing to these actions.
Finally, another characteristic that has gained increasing strength in this communication with the consumer is design, not only for its aesthetics but for the concept it brings. All types of art are made with the same material; for example, paintings are produced with paint on canvas, music with chords, poems with words, but we only feel touched by that painting, music, or poem that is truly beautiful; and that is the intention of design: to bring something more to people, to be a positive experience.
Thus, the satisfaction generated by the combination of these characteristics (quality, socio-environmental initiatives, and design) is the main reason that allows different people to appreciate a particular object in a similar way, despite the particularities of each individual. We see, then, that our experiences are responsible for the interpretation we give to what we experience, and to better understand the mechanisms behind this effect, in our next meeting we will begin to discuss one of our most fascinating abilities, learning, and we will see how it relates to our experiences.
Bibliographic References
Pessoa, L. How do emotion and motivation direct executive control? Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 2009; 13(4):160-6.
Kandel, ER. Experience modifies synapses. In: In Search of Memory – The Birth of a New Science of Mind (Kandel, ER). 2009; p. 211-231, Companhia das Letras.
