Raising our maximum taste
What do you have good taste in? Music? Food? Clothes? Books? Coffee?
Your answer reveals something fascinating about you—you regularly expose your mind to excellence in that area.
If you have good taste in coffee, I’d bet your YouTube feed is full of gurus explaining grind sizes, brewing methods, and water temperatures. If you have good taste in fashion, your feed probably overflows with style icons showing how to drape a scarf or pair accessories perfectly.
The more we expose ourselves to excellence, the more we learn. And as we learn, we expand our awareness and understanding.
Here’s an interesting thought: we all have a maximum taste level, a limit in our minds beyond which we can’t comprehend or appreciate taste. But the good news? That limit isn’t fixed.
As we consistently immerse ourselves in the best of the best, we raise that upper ceiling. We begin to notice details, understand nuances, and elevate our standards. In short, our minds grow bigger and better. 🧠
“The theory of maximum taste says that each person’s mind is defined by its upper limit—the best that it habitually consumes and is capable of consuming.”
—David Brooks
The opposite is also true. When we indulge in mental junk, our standards fall.
David Brooks, the creator of this theory, believes we shouldn’t worry too much about consuming some mental junk. Think trashy TV shows or mindless social media scrolling. Even the greatest minds in history indulged in a little fluff yet created incredible works of art, science, and philosophy.
It’s less about the junk we’re feeding our minds. It’s more about what we aren’t feeding our minds.
Brooks recounts an experiment where he assigned the same challenging classic essay to two groups. The first group, college students used to engaging with demanding material, found it manageable. The second group, older alumni, struggled, even though they had once excelled at the same college.
The only difference was the exposure. Those who regularly engaged with excellence maintained their edge (college students) while those who hadn’t (older alumni) lost it over time.
You can read more about this idea in his article:
David Brooks on the Theory of Maximum Taste
This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about good taste in this newsletter. If you think, I don’t need good taste—I’m paying my bills, raising my family, and managing life just fine, you might enjoy my earlier post on this ⬇️
Here’s something I often wonder:
How do we decide what to develop good taste in? We can’t cultivate good taste in everything.
The answer I’ve landed on is that there’s no one right answer. Taste often follows interest. That said, you might argue that interest can follow exposure. Imagine you have zero interest in cooking but stumble upon a chef painstakingly sourcing ingredients, explaining every intricate detail of their dish. If you watch them long enough, it’s hard not to feel some level of awe—and, eventually, interest.
Still, it’s easier to dive into areas you’re already inclined toward. The more interests we develop, the richer our minds become.
One of the best ways to expose ourselves to excellence? Reading.
Not just any reading, but books, essays, or blogs that make us pause, reflect, and expand. Classics, thought-provoking essays, or even insightful blogs can shape our thinking.
If reading feels daunting, start small. Listen to a podcast. Watch a YouTube channel run by an expert. Even TikTok has its gems—there’s more than just dance videos and pranks.
The point is to keep feeding your mind.
Life after college has a way of pulling us into the mundane—bills to pay, kids to raise, retirement plans to make. But amidst the responsibilities, we owe it to ourselves to nourish our minds with a rich mental diet.
We owe it to ourselves to keep raising our maximum taste. 🙌