The most common reason is that we just like the work. There can be thousand of other reasons but this one
is most obvious and common.
My opinion is that more correct reason for should be: "We like the work and we want to support
artist."
Why? Because on DA is something more than just a feature for your collection. Favorites = rating.
When you add something to your favorites you create the content of DeviantArt. What do you see when you
come to DA first? Most popular works. Faving the work you make it available for other watchers.
I've already made journal entry about a lot of crap in the popular. (Please, don't say that something i suppose
to be crap, the other one calls ART. Crap is always crap, but always there are at least one idiot who will call
it artificial.) So now i want to say the following: fav  only what you like or what you want other people to
see. Remember, once you will DA and see nothing you would like to see.
Of course, we have and who helps us to explore unknown but great artists but this is not enough, what you look at depends on you.


Here are general results: 70% of people suppose favorite to be the best compliment. Reading comments to
poll you can learn that most of people think that is good but +comment is better.
But there is one important answer that i missed in my poll. I thought about it only after 's
comment: " People who say they like your pic but don't fav it, their words don't ring true."
I should add answer: Positive comment without fav means nothing. (it is very intersting to know how many
people think so).
It was hard to choose using my straight answer. But i haven' my purpose big and complicated social research
considering motivation of faving and other stuff. I was interested in general results and i got them.


And now from the contrary...Tonnes of faves give you popularity (or you can just become ). Views and comments on your deviations are useless. Ratio favorites/views should be 1/4 (better 1/2), if it is 1/10 or lower  - your efforts do not deserve the result. So i don't want to spend longer time wasted. No more works that are viewed but not faved. Favs are confirmation that people like your work (conclusion based on poll results), when they look at it and do not fave, it means that work is not good enough to be placed in their collection.
So you won't see:
Nudes, fetish ot hot picts
Portraits with set light and technically hard
Provoking works
Complicated arrangements
Concept with more then one straight thought
Works that needs time or money, or photographic skills
My next 10 or more works will be based on the analysis of the most popular works.

PLEASE, DO NOT THINK THAT I'M OFFENDED OR SOMETHING LIKE THIS, I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE LIKE AND WHY