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Abstract

Assigning hedonic value shapes behaviour across organisms, yet how these values translate into motivated behaviour remains unclear. We introduce hedonic foraging as a mechanism by which hedonic evaluation guides behaviour via iterative reward maximisation. This framework integrates hedonic evaluation with active inference, whereby expected free energy encodes wanting—the motivational drive toward rewarding outcomes—while variational free energy co responds to liking—the hedonic impact of the outcome. Hedonic foraging unifies the mechanisms underlying behaviours ranging from allostasis to art appreciation, casting cognition and motivated behaviour as purposive engagement with the environment and its affordances.