reward seeking
Pursuing positive outcomes
Reward seeking is the pursuit of pleasurable outcomes or positive reinforcement.
In psychology and neuroscience, it describes behavior driven by anticipation of rewards—food, money, praise, or dopamine-releasing experiences.
The term often appears in discussions of motivation, addiction, and decision-making: Excessive reward seeking can lead to compulsive behaviors.
In AI contexts, reward seeking describes how systems optimize for programmed objectives.
- motivationImpetus toward a goal
- cravingPowerful urge to have
- dopamineReward-linked neural messenger
- pleasureHappy, satisfied feeling
- incentiveReward encouraging action
carrot and stick · drive · gratification · instant gratification · pursuit · hunger · desire · goal · striving · anticipation · temptation · impulse · ambition · urge · chasing · wanting · payoff · prize
reward seekingloss aversion
Setbacks sting more than gains please
risk aversion · pain avoidance · withdrawal · avoidance · defensive behavior
reward seekinganhedonia
Inability to feel enjoyment
indifference · apathy · passivity · contentment · desirelessness
reward seekingasceticism
Severe self-denial practice
self-denial · renunciation · abstinence · self-restraint · delayed gratification
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