The Promise of Reward - Deepstash

The Promise of Reward

  • The reward system of the brain is not what we think it is. We mistake wanting for happiness.
  • When it comes to happiness, we cannot trust our brains to lead us in the right direction.
  • Dopamine plays a role in anticipating rewards not in experiencing them
  • The promise of happiness keeps us hunting.
  • Dopamine is how technology keeps us addicted.

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Like Vs. Lust

There are 2 kinds of pleasure: “liking” and “wanting.” “Liking” is a state of happiness and satisfaction, such as the gratification we get after a good meal. But “wanting” comes from the pleasure in pursuing something and feeling seduction or excitement.

Dopamine plays a big ro...

The reward system

The reward system in our brain exists to ensure we seek out what we need. If eating nutritious food or being smiled at pleases us, we try to secure more of these stimuli. However, seeking pleasure can also result in people becoming addicted, indebted or overweight.

The Results of the Reward Prediction Error Experiment

The happiness of the subjects did not depend on how large the rewards were. Instead, the momentary happiness depended on the outcomes of their expectations.

The process of learning how the experimented game worked made people feel good rather than the reward they won.

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