Why do animals want what they like?

The ability to experience pleasure or displeasure is created by the brain and therefore has a physiological component (1). In 1872, based on his observations of humans and animals, Charles Darwin proposed that evolution may select affective reactions that shape behavior, and thus individual fitness (2). Affective neuroscience in mammals searches for mechanistic explanations that underpin the experience of liking or disgust (1). Recently, the role of dopamine was reevaluated, showing that it is an important neuromodulator for wanting rather than liking rewards (3). On page 508 of this issue, Huang et al. (4) show that regulation of the neurotransmitter dopamine is also an important component of the motivation of wanting in honey bees (Apis mellifera). This suggests that the fitness benefits of a motivation wanting system regulated by dopamine are likely to be conserved and may explain behavior in a wide range of animals. Copyright