Abstract
Berridge and Robinson dissect reward into separable processes and present the evidence that mesolimbic dopamine is required for incentive salience (‘wanting’) rather than for hedonic pleasure (‘liking’) or for reward learning per se — the neural basis for why we can crave what we no longer enjoy.
Berridge, K. C., & Robinson, T. E. (1998). Brain Research Reviews, 28(3), 309–369. DOI
Key findings
- Wanting ≠ liking — Dopamine drives the motivation to pursue, not the pleasure of consuming.
- Cue attraction — Incentive salience makes reward cues themselves attractive and “grab” attention and action.
- Dissociation evidence — Dopamine manipulations change wanting while leaving hedonic ‘liking’ reactions intact.
When to open this
Open alongside Desire ≠ enjoyment and Wanting versus liking for the mechanism behind craving that outlives enjoyment.