Exposure to New Experiences Rewarding
Exposure to New Experiences Improves Memory And Could Help Treat Memory Problems
Could this research help explain the Coolidge Effect too? And why we need to keep our intimate relationships rewarding by (1) reinforcing positive, oxytocin-producing contact, and (2) avoiding dopamine fluctuations brought on by sexual satiation?
...Dr Duzel said: "When we see something new, we see it has a potential for rewarding us in some way. This potential that lies in new things motivates us to explore our environment for rewards. The brain learns that the stimulus, once familiar, has no reward associated with it and so it loses its potential. For this reason, only completely new objects activate the midbrain area and increase our levels of dopamine."