Does Your Brain Prefer Intrinsic or Extrinsic Rewards?
The answer might surprise you.
Intrinsic rewards come from within us, such as a sense of satisfaction or achievement. The sense of pleasure could also come from completing a task or learning something new. Extrinsic rewards come from external factors, such as money or praise. Both types of rewards can affect our brains in different ways.
Intrinsic rewards activate the parts of the brain that are associated with pleasure and motivation, such as the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area.
These areas of the brain release dopamine, which helps us feel happy and motivated.
Extrinsic rewards, on the other hand, activate the parts of the brain that are associated with planning and decision-making, such as the prefrontal cortex.
Intrinsic Vs. Extrinsic
If we get to choose between an activity that will give us an intrinsic reward (such as satisfaction) and one that will give us an extrinsic reward (such as money), we are more likely to choose the activity that will provide the intrinsic reward.
This is because the dopamine release associated with intrinsic rewards is longer-lasting than the dopamine release associated with extrinsic rewards.
