Interaction between auditory areas of the brain and the reward system drive pleasure when we listen to music. Read More
Researchers conclude the mind of an extremist is marked by a mixture of conservative and dogmatic psychological signatures. Extremists tend to be cognitively cautious, slower at perceptual processing, and have weaker working memory. This is compounded by impulsive personality traits that seek sensation and risky experiences. Read More
The use of social media, specifically to drive "likes" to our content, follows a pattern of "reward learning", much like when an animal is trained to seek food rewards. Read More
People who suffer from obesity have stronger connections between brain areas associated with the motivation to eat and the rewarding effect of food consumption. Additionally, researchers found noted differences in the thickness of the cerebral cortex of obese test subjects. Read More
From helping to reduce depression to boosting dopamine in the reward system, researchers review how taking up a hobby can have positive effects on mental health. Read More
Study explores the role the reward system plays in chronic pain, finding emotional and physical pain are bidirectional. Opioids, researchers report, ultimately make things worse. Read More
Diet-induced changes to the reward system and innate differences may predispose mice to over-eating. Read More
Do you experience the chills when you hear your favorite song? Researchers used EEG to map brain activity while people listened to their favorite tunes. Findings reveal specific brain areas work together to process music, triggering the reward system and increasing dopamine release. Read More
Mouse study reveals sleep deprivation can increase the risk of cocaine addiction. Too little sleep increases the reward properties of cocaine, researchers report. Read More
Neuroimaging and computational neuroscience studies reveal different ways and brain areas implicated in decision making. Read More
Common green apple flavorant farnesene enhances nicotine reward in mouse models. The flavorant is also rewarding on its own. Researchers say with or without nicotine, flavored vapes, especially those containing farnesene, pose potential neurological risks, including addiction. Read More
Obesity risk in teens appears to be associated with stronger connectivity within and between regions of the brain implicated in determining the salience of stimuli. This may have implications for reward processing. Researchers report executive control efforts in the brain decrease when salience and reward-processing regions are engaged in teens with obesity. Read More
