The Brain, Reward & Reinforcement
How Learning, Motivation and Cues Can Strengthen Repeated Behaviour
This resource explores how the brain learns which experiences are worth repeating and how those normal learning processes can become involved in addiction.
It explains positive and negative reinforcement, dopamine’s role in motivation and learning, conditioned cues, craving, habits and why immediate rewards can sometimes carry more weight than delayed consequences.
Importantly, it moves away from simplistic ideas such as dopamine being merely a “pleasure chemical” or addiction being caused by a single brain process.
Useful for: understanding why repeated behaviours can become increasingly compelling, recognising the role of cues and reinforcement, and explaining addiction without reducing someone to their brain chemistry.
Space to Breathe Therapy
