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SvennoJ on 21 May 2025
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LegitHyperbole said:
SvennoJ said:

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20161123-shopping-a-sale-gives-you-the-same-feeling-as-getting-high

What’s really going on in your body and brain when you suspend rational thought and get enticed by a sale?

That feeling. You know the one. The adrenaline rush and desire you feel even thinking about it. You need your next fix. When you’re close to it, you can’t stop yourself — from buying, that is.

For some of us, the signs shouting 50% off, one-day-only sale and clearance are not so different from the siren call for other types of addictions: the feeling of winning at shopping a sale is not unlike the addiction to alcohol, drugs or even food, therapists say.


https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/brain-wise/201510/shopping-dopamine-and-anticipation

Many people think that dopamine is released when the brain receives a reward, but dopamine is actually released in anticipation of a reward.


Hence pre-ordering games and hype are a bigger reward than actually playing the games. Same as waiting for a sale.

Heck even planning a gaming session often feels better than actually playing. Anticipation is the actual reward.

Well this explains quite a bit as to my library. Regardless if it feels good, this is a bad habit, it'll have to be quarantined and eliminated. 

Yep and just having a backlog is its own reward system. All that anticipation!

This also explains why difficulty is rewarding (next to being a stark warning to cut down on social media)

The Dopamine Hijack

How modern life is stealing your focus, motivation, and joy.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/total-self-trust/202503/the-dopamine-hijack

Instant Gratification: The Enemy of Long-Term Success

Why does instant gratification ruin your motivation? Because motivation thrives on anticipation, not instant payoff (Sapolsky, 2017). The dopamine system evolved to reward effortful pursuit—not effortless consumption.

Today, we’ve reversed this equation:

  • Want validation? Instant likes.
  • Want entertainment? Endless streaming.
  • Want distraction? Instagram and TikTok’s 15-second dopamine loops.

The brain quickly learns that effort is unnecessary. Over time, motivation evaporates, and goals that require patience and persistence—like building businesses, cultivating relationships, or mastering skills—feel exhausting and unrewarding.


Reclaiming Your Dopamine Pathways: 3 Steps to Freedom

The good news? You’re not stuck. Neuroscience shows your brain can be retrained through dopamine detox and strategic rewiring (Brewer, 2019).

1. Dopamine Detox: Press Reset

You don’t need to delete every app forever—just temporarily reset your dopamine pathways.

Try this:

  • Take one day a week (or even one evening) entirely offline—no screens, notifications, or digital input.
  • Notice boredom: It’s actually your brain recalibrating.
  • Replace screen time with offline activities—nature walks, reading, journaling, or conversations with real humans.

2. Effort Over Instant Gratification

Your brain craves dopamine earned through effortful tasks because effort signals significance.

  • Choose activities that provide delayed satisfaction—learning a skill, exercising, or working on a meaningful project.
  • Break big tasks into smaller milestones. Your dopamine system thrives on incremental progress and reward.
  • Celebrate small wins—dopamine loves feeling progress and momentum.


Hence difficult games are rewarding, as well as long quests with many steps. But also why games are so addictive!!!

The previous article I linked goes right into why loot boxes are so effective:

Unpredictability increases anticipation

When the monkeys got the treat all the time, a fair amount of dopamine was released during the pressing phase. When getting the treat was unpredictable, the amount of dopamine went up.

GAAS is build on this. For example Poe2 is one big RNG fest. The early access version is used to fine tune the best dopamine delivery system through drop rates and artificial scarcity. It's all about the loot. The game play merely the anticipation for loot drops. Roblox the same, all about the loot.