ABSTRACT
INTEREST IS WHEN SOMETHING NOT ONLY draws our attention but generates a desire in us to engage with that thing, event, or situation. As we inhabit the world, we constantly organise information from surroundings through our senses. Instances of contrast, adjacency, axis, balance, repetition, spatial position, and centrality are associated into larger patterns which help us make sense of the world more quickly. In these moments, we look for hierarchical information to focus our attention on moments of relative importance (see MATBH: Hierarchy). Most of these interactions are passive, as we interact with entities like objects, buildings, spaces, and other people around them. However, interest occurs when the awareness of our attention shifts from passive recognition to active engagement. This moment generates curiosity and a desire to gain knowledge or enrich our lives through prioritising a preferred experience.
