Preference Is Taste and/or Cost

When someone makes a choice based on preference, there are many factors that influence it and there are many ways to categorize and split the motivations of said choice. There is one split (“dimension”) that I think is often overlooked.

I propose a model in which preference is split into two dimensions: taste and cost. These are not mutually exclusive and can even affect each other.

Cost: whenever we talk about something functional, it is largely a matter of cost. Cost is meant in the broad sense of the word: time, money, (cognitive) effort, risk, loss of optionality, etc.

The cost of solving an issue can differ per person, but a discussion about this can be mistaken for simple taste preference.

Taste: applies primarily to aesthetic/experiential questions. Cost is a factor here too, but a secondary one.

Taste for different methods can alter the cost equation (someone who enjoys cooking pays less, in effort, for an elaborate meal than someone who dislikes it), but ultimately it is still a cost question.

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Spending willpower on “cost”

Like Jung, I define will as the total amount of willpower at one’s disposal, and volition as the part of it that is voluntarily spent. When making a decision, after estimating the cost as well as one can, one has the choice whether or not to pay that cost. That decision is where volition is spent: the cost itself is paid in its own currency (money, time, effort), but the more one would rather not pay it, the more will the decision takes.

Examples

Health

Health (assuming everyone strives for a certain degree of health) is a cost problem. Exercise, nutritious food, sleep and not smoking all involve paying a cost now for a benefit later. Enjoying exercise or healthy food lowers that cost, but it is still a cost problem.

Time preference

Buying good shoes: a cost problem (long term vs short term). Paying more now buys lower costs later: the shoes last longer, are more comfortable and need replacing less often. Which pair one prefers depends on how heavily present costs are weighed against future ones.

Taste

(Controversially) arguing that the new Star Wars movies are better than the old ones is a taste problem. Arguments about cinematography, effects, pacing or writing can be factual, but the final verdict is mostly experiential.

Customization

More customization offers more potentiality, for known uses and even for future uses that are currently unknown. Opting out of that is a cost, one that is often overlooked, probably because it feels so abstract.

If one chooses the non-adjustable desk chair over the adjustable one, assuming the same price, quality, style, etc., one is paying extra costs in the form of lost optionality.