The Hedonistic Theory of Motivation

Hedonism emphasizes pleasure over everything else. The hedonistic theory
of motivation stems from Freud’s recognition of the pleasure principle,
which stipulates that motivation is stimulated by pleasure and inhibited by
pain.
Laboratory experiments with rats demonstrated unequivocally that, given
a choice, rats work harder to get food that tastes good to them than to get
food that is nutritious. Indeed, laboratory animals will take in empty calories
to the point of emaciation as long as the food that contains such calories
tastes good. It is thought that hedonistic motivation is directly related to
pleasure centers in the brain, so that organisms work both consciously and
unconsciously toward stimulating and satisfying these pleasure centers.