Preferenze

Preferenze is the Italian term for preferences, referring to personal likings or choices among alternatives. The singular form is preferenza. The word can indicate what someone tends to choose or value in a given situation. The term derives from Latin praeferre, meaning to carry before, capturing the idea of favoring one option over another.

In economics and decision theory, preferences describe how individuals rank options in a consistent way. They are typically assumed to be complete (every pair of options can be compared) and transitive (if A is preferred to B and B to C, then A is preferred to C). When these conditions hold, a consumer’s choices can be represented by a utility function, and indifference curves illustrate combinations of goods yielding the same level of satisfaction. Preference relations can be ordinal, where only the order matters, or, less commonly, cardinal, where the intensity of preference is measured.

Revealed preference theory infers preferences from observed choices rather than from stated judgments, addressing the challenge that preferences are not directly observable. In psychology and behavioral sciences, preferences are viewed as influenced by context, framing, prior experiences, and culture, and they can change over time.

In information technology and user experience, “preferences” refer to configurable settings that tailor systems to users’ desires and privacy choices, such as language, display, and notification options. Preferences play a central role in consumer markets, welfare analyses, and personal decision-making, reflecting both stable tendencies and situational shifts. See also utility, indifference, revealed preference, and preference formation.