browsing social media—is associated with higher levels of dopamine. The
same can be said for our most basic habitual behaviors like eating food,
drinking water, having sex, and interacting socially.
For years, scientists assumed dopamine was all about
pleasure, but now
we know it plays a central role in many neurological processes, including
motivation, learning and memory, punishment and aversion, and voluntary
movement.
When it comes to habits, the key takeaway is this: dopamine is released
not only when you
experience pleasure, but also when you
anticipate it.
Gambling addicts have a dopamine spike right
before they place a bet, not
after they win. Cocaine addicts get a surge of dopamine when they
see the
powder, not after they take it. Whenever you predict that an opportunity
will be rewarding, your levels of dopamine spike in anticipation. And
whenever dopamine rises, so does your motivation to act.
It is the anticipation of a reward—not the fulfillment of it—that gets us to
take action.
Interestingly, the reward system that is activated in the brain when you
receive a reward is the same system that is activated when you
anticipate a
reward. This is one reason the anticipation of an experience can often feel
better than the attainment of it.
As a child, thinking about Christmas
morning can be better than opening the gifts. As an adult, daydreaming
about an upcoming vacation can be more enjoyable than actually being on
vacation. Scientists refer to this as the difference between “wanting” and
“liking.”
