The most dopaminergically reinforcing moment is not the achievement or possession of what you wanted, but the surprise that something is better than expected; the anticipation of a positive event provides more dopamine than the event itself.
factualpending
Speaker
Sam HarrisEvidence Quote
“our dopaminergic system gets driven not by Pleasure itself but by the expectation of pleasure”
Created: 8/12/2026, 6:30:10 PM
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