The Formula for Human Affinity and Popularity

Introduction

• Key Question: Why do we like what we like?
  • Ancient Perspectives: Golden Ratio, aesthetics
  • Modern Perspective: Influence of advertisers, technology (Google, Facebook)

Novelty vs. Familiarity

• Novelty: Advertisers push newness (e.g., "new" was the most common word in ads).
• Familiarity: According to the mere-exposure effect, familiarity breeds preference.
  • Examples:
    • Music: Preferences for familiar chord structures in new songs.
    • Movies: Top films are often sequels, adaptations, or reboots.
    • Self-perception: People prefer their mirror image over photographed image.
  • Evolutionary Explanation: Familiarity was safe for hunter-gatherers.

The Challenge for Creators

• Balancing familiarity and surprise is crucial for creating successful products, ideas, etc.

Raymond Loewy and the Concept of