We have long been told a simple story about reward: Dopamine is the "wanting" molecule that drives us toward goals, and opioids are the "liking" molecules that provide the hit of pleasure once we get ...

Why do some habits feel rewarding instantly while others take time? Experts explain how dopamine shapes motivation, why quick rewards are addictive, and how delayed gratification leads to lasting ...

I was a third-year medical student at Northwestern on my ICU rotation the first time I saw a dopamine drip. The patient was pale and motionless, his blood pressure dropping by the minute despite large ...

A first-of-its-kind study from researchers at Bradley Hospital, part of Brown University Health, found that cannabis use during adolescence is linked to changes in the brain’s reward system, ...

A new study is challenging one of neuroscience’s most enduring ideas: that the brain’s reward system exists to make us feel good. Instead, researchers argue that it is built to optimize energy.