Pleasure is an emotion. It is the opposite of pain. Humans and many other mammals feel pleasure.[1] People feel pleasure when they do something that is fun or that feels good.
Pleasure is studied in neuroscience.[2] Neuroscientists have mapped pleasure "hotspots" in the brain.[2] Pleasure is important for a person's mental health and well-being.[2] The loss of pleasure is common in people with mental illnesses like depression, schizophrenia, and addiction.[2]
Pleasure is studied in positive psychology.[3] How much pleasure someone feels changes from person to person. Pleasure depends how special something is. There is no rule that says what pleasure is for every person. [3]
Sigmund Freud wrote about the "pleasure principle" in the 1920 essay Beyond the Pleasure Principle.[4] According to Freud, the pleasure principle is what drives people to do things that give them a feeling of immediate gratification.[4]
The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus said that people feel the most pleasure possible when they have no suffering.[5]
Hedonism is another philosophy that is focused on pleasure. It says that pleasure is good.[6] In Hedonism, people focus on pleasure and avoid pain.
Utilitarianism is a philosophy that focuses on pleasure. It says that morality requires that people do what has the most utility for the most people.[7]