SlyFoxx on 9/11/2014 at 10:13

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So it was 4:30 AM.... I woke up and had to pee. The fireplace, sporting a nice bed of coals and a few simmering logs as I dozed off hours earlier had been reduced to a pile of embers. A few stabs with the trusty poker, the application of twigs gathered from the yard days before and a few small logs and presto, an inviting fire in no time. I write this as my room is illuminated by a warm glow of firelight and I am comforted by the sound as well as the warmth. I think that sound is hardwired in our brain as a good one.

ZylonBane on 9/11/2014 at 16:00

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Breathing.

Neb on 9/11/2014 at 16:27

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Not sure about hardwiring, but I love rocks clacking as they scatter down a cliff, gravel beneath the tires of a slow moving vehicle, snow crunching under your feet.

yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhh

And if we're getting into weird associations: Occasionally, I get a sensation in my nose that isn't a smell and I can't really describe it, but it's very distinct. Every single time, it triggers a strong memory of being five years old at school in the middle of rehearsing a nativity play. It's cold outside and we have to move to a different classroom via a path with bushes either side and we're all dressed up, when suddenly I get a sensation in my nose that I've never experienced before.

Whenever I get the flashback I can hear the name 'Joseph' in my mind (for obvious reasons I guess.) I started making a mark on my calendar every time it happens, which turns out to be once every 2 or 3 months on average. Never told anyone about that. :p

R Soul on 9/11/2014 at 17:00

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I'm not sure enjoyment of a crackling fireplace is hardwired. Naturally that would mean the forest is on fire and we should get away, but through our intelligence and traditions we've learned, almost from birth, to associate it with warmth, light, and food.

I think we're hardwired to like the colour green, because where there are plants, there are animals, and we can eat significant amounts of either.

Medlar mentioned the ocean. The same goes for rivers and streams.

It's obvious why we're hardwired to like babies, especially when they're smiling or laughing, but that also makes use like young animals too:
(http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac326/rsoulinternet/misc/Jessie_zpsc813f3b0.jpg)
(http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac326/rsoulinternet/misc/morgan2.jpg)
(and adults that retain juvenile features)

Anything that replicates hunting or foraging, which for a lot of people means shopping. When I take my dog out I really like pretending to hunt with him. However I've been conditioned to prefer meat that's been bought and cooked, and I know it's not the same life or death situation of the wild, so I prefer it when he's not successful.

Sulphur on 9/11/2014 at 17:19

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Yup, because in terms of memetics at least, the colour green is the innate representation of safety/nature to us, while red is of course associated with danger and violence.

And so, evolution has at least one constructive thing to show for itself: the traffic signal.