Beyond our ability to express emotion, we also share the instinct

to search for patterns. The human mind is a beautifully

engineered difference engine. Our brains constantly scan for
patterns in our environment to form insights and keep us
from harm.
Your senses alert you to food in your fridge that�s past
its prime. No one had to teach you about the smell of
spoiled milk�you simply recognize something isn�t right.
Something�s different and your brain knows it.
We call that break in pattern contrast. Our brain�s vigilant
scan for contrast drives our decision making process. It helps
us decide where we should sit in a classroom (is one seat more
advantageous than another?), where we should eat dinner
(will one restaurant have better food than another?), and even
who we should marry (is one mate more attractive than another?).
We use contrast to answer one fundamental question:
Is it good for me or bad for me?
We perceive contrast in a couple of ways ahead.