HARMONYthey aren’t easily persuaded to accept responsibility for their health by
taking their medication every day and making healthy lifestyle choices.
The development of an internal locus of control, as well as con-
tentment (if only for a little while), are among the many benefits of
achieving mastery over an activity. But it takes an enormous amount of
time and effort as well as constant mental stretching. Mastering a skill
requires a student to constantly move outside her comfort zone. As soon
as a piano player gets good at an easy song, she has to start on a harder
one. It’s a tough slog, but it can also be a great joy. Those who don’t give
up generally feel it was worth it. It can result in a feeling that they have
found their passion, something so engrossing they become completely
immersed in it.
THE REWARDS OF REALITYWhat do you think about when you brush your teeth? Probably not
brushing your teeth. You’re more likely to be thinking about things you
have to do later in the day, later in the week, or some other time in
the future. Why? Maybe it’s a habit. Maybe it’s anxiety. Maybe you’re
afraid that if you don’t think about the future you will miss something.
But you probably won’t. And by not thinking about what you’re doing,
you will definitely miss something, maybe even something you never
noticed before, something unexpected.
What dopamine loves more than anything else is reward prediction
error, which, as we have discussed, is the discovery that something is
better than we had anticipated it would be. Paradoxically, dopamine
does everything in its power to avoid such incorrect forecasts. Reward
prediction error feels great because your dopamine circuits get excited
over the fact that there is something new and unexpected to make your
life better. But being surprised by an unexpected new resource means
the resource isn’t being fully exploited. So dopamine makes sure the
surprise that felt so good will never be a surprise again. Dopamine
extinguishes its own pleasure. It’s frustrating, but it’s the best way to
keep us alive. What can we do to keep the surprises coming?