Our craving for instant rewards from message alerts to online shopping may be quietly reshaping how the brain processes pleasure and motivation.

That is the finding of Dr Susan Weinschenk, a behavioural scientist and adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, whose research focuses on how neuroscience influences human behaviour. She says modern technology creates unpredictable bursts of dopamine, the chemical messenger that fuels reward and anticipation.

“Dopamine drives anticipation, not pleasure,” she explains. “Too many spikes leave us wanting more rewards.” The effect, she says, is a feedback loop that dulls the brain’s response to genuine sources of joy such as conversation, creativity, and time in nature.

Weinschenk compares a healthy dopamine pattern to a medical infusion. “In the ICU, dopamine doesn’t come in a burst. It flows slowly and steadily.” The balance, she argues, is vital to mental stability.

To restore that rhythm, she recommends deliberate dopamine resets: turning off phone notifications, seeking quiet spaces, and engaging in sustained, mindful activities that build focus and connection. “We need stimulation to stay engaged,” she notes, “but without rest and recovery, the system breaks down.”

Weinschenk believes that happiness is not found in a sudden high but in a steady pattern of reward. “Durable happiness isn’t a high,” she says. “It’s an ongoing process of maintenance and growth.”