Evolutionary Valence Labeling Theory: The Origin, Function, Individual Differences, and Formula of Subjective Experience
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) June 26, 2026 Changhong Yun
Subjective experience is a labeling system shaped by natural selection, assigning valence labels (good/bad, approach/avoid) to survival-relevant stimuli. Neonates' innate reactions to sweetness (approach) and bitterness (avoidance) provide direct evidence for this innate valence labeling. At the neural level, subjective experience and coordinated firing of neuronal ensembles in specific pathways are the same process, differing only in perspective. The theory distinguishes psychological valence (phenomenological description) from its biological mechanistic explanation. Acquired supplementary labeling allows innate labels to be modulated through learning. Individual differences arise from interactions among genes, development, and experience. EVLT transforms the "hard problem" of consciousness into an empirically tractable functional problem.