Final answer:
People are motivated by their interests and beliefs, reflected in motivated reasoning, and behave in strategic and expressive ways. They engage with information meaningful to them and sometimes act to express identity rather than purely to achieve goals.
Step-by-step explanation:
To say that people usually want to hear about things that are meaningful to them is to say that people are driven by motivated reasoning, which is the human tendency to embrace ideas that we want to believe and reject evidence that challenges those beliefs. This concept relates to how humans behave in two main ways: strategic and expressive. On the one hand, people often take action to achieve their goals, which is a form of strategic behavior. For instance, a student may study intensively to achieve a higher grade. On the other hand, there is expressive behavior where actions are taken not necessarily to achieve a goal but to convey a certain identity or express one's feelings. For example, someone might donate to a charity to signal their generosity or align with a group's social norms.
Furthermore, people tend to have an intrinsic psychological appeal for complex topics once they have mastered them, feeling pride in their understanding. This can translate into warm feelings for those subjects, reinforcing the desire to engage with information that resonates on a personal level.
In the context of public policy and media, many are interested in issues because they connect to their own lives and may advocate for changes that align with their self-interest or public spirit. Ultimately, humans are complex beings who operate both strategically and expressively, driven by self-interest, societal norms, and a need for order and understanding in their lives.