# THE FOUR PLEASURES

Select each tab to see a summary of Lionel Tiger’s classification of different types of pleasure.

Physio-pleasure

Socio-pleasure

Psycho-pleasure

Ideo-pleasure

This is to do with the body and with pleasures derived from the sensory organs. They include pleasures connected with touch, taste and smell as well as feelings of sensual pleasure.

In the context of products physio-pleasure would cover, for example, tactile and olfactory properties. Tactile pleasures concern holding and touching a product during interaction. This might be relevant, for example, in the context of a telephone handset or a remote-control. Olfactory pleasures concern the smell of the new product. For example, the smell inside a new car may be a factor that affects how pleasurable it is for the owner.

This is the enjoyment derived from relationships with others, This might mean relationships with friends and loved ones, with colleagues or with like-minded people. However, it might also include a person’s relationship with society as a whole - issues such as status and image may play a role here. Products an facilitate social interaction in a number of ways. For example a coffee-maker provides a service that can act as a focal point, perhaps for a little social interaction.

Part of the pleasure of hosting a coffee morning may come from the efficient provision of well made coffee to the guests. Other products may facilitate social interaction by being talking points in themselves. For example, a special piece of jewellery may attract comment, as may an interesting household product, such as an unusually styled television set. Association with other types of products may indicate belonging to a social group; the person’s relationship with the product forms part of their social identity.

Psycho-pleasure pertains to people’s cognitive and emotional reactions. In the case of products, this might include issues relating to cognitive demands of using the product and the emotional relationship engendered through experiencing the product.

It might be expected that a word processor that facilitated quick and easy accomplishment of, say, formatting tasks would provide a higher level of psycho-pleasure than one with which user was likely to make many errors. The former word-processor should enable the user to complete the task more easily than he or she would with the latter. The outcome may also be more emotionally satisfying.

Ideo-pleasure pertains to people's values Tiger refers to the pleasures derive from ‘theoretical’ entities such as books, music and art. In the context of products it would relate to, For example the aesthetics of the product and the values that the product embodies.

A product made from biodegradable materials might be seen as embodying the value of environmental responsibility. This, then, would be a potential source of ideo-pleasure to those who are particularly concerned about environmental issues.

Ideo-pleasure would also include the idea of products as art forms. For example, the video cassette recorder that someone has in the home is not only a functional item, but something the owner and others will see every time they enter the room. The level of pleasure given by the video cassette recorder may, then, be highly dependent on how it affects it’s environment aesthetically.