perceptions, and our waistlines.
Over time, they literally rewire our brains.PLEASURE, REWARD,
EMOTION, AND HABIT
Pleasure, reward, and emotion are all
interconnected in our brains. Reward circuitry
is integrated with parts of the brain that enrich
a pleasurable experience with emotion,
making it more powerful, and easier to
remember. The combination of pleasure,
reward, and emotion pushes you toward
rewarding stimuli—including food.
The foods in question—supernormally
stimulating without adequate nutrition to
invoke satiation or satiety—tell the brain to
release dopamine, the neurotransmitter
associated with the pleasure center. Dopamine
motivates your behavior, reinforces food-
seeking (“wanting”) and energizes your