How to escape the “dopamine crash loop” and rewire your curiosity

BLUF

Dopamine drives motivation rather than pleasure, making it both the fuel for achievement and the trap of instant gratification. By understanding reward loops, we can consciously rewire curiosity and align motivation with meaningful, lasting goals.

Learning Outcomes:

• Explain dopamine’s role in motivation, reward anticipation, and habit formation.
• Analyse how modern technology exploits variable reward schedules to create dopamine crash loops.
• Apply strategies to redirect reward systems toward curiosity, growth, and purposeful behaviours.