Certainly Never Enough

But how are these creatures being motivated? For humans, intrinsic motivation is often prioritized as a way for pursuit over extrinsic motivation. As hedonic adaptation is deeply rooted in our psychology, it suggests that no matter how fortunate or unfortunate our circumstances are, we ultimately settle into a state of contentment over and over again. However, if rewards come without effort or success that is achieved effortlessly, these intrinsic mechanisms risk deterioration. 

This phenomenon mirrors a treadmill effect, wherein individuals feel compelled to continuously chase after the next innovation or improvement, or continuously pursue material possessions or experiences in the pursuit of happiness. Acknowledging how the dopamine systems are not needed either to mediate the hedonic pleasure of reinforcers or to mediate predictive associations involved in hedonic reward learning [1] and the complexity of addiction, influenced by multiple factors including genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. Such pursuits may inadvertently lead us down a slippery slope akin to an addiction-like cycle.

While reflecting on the complexities of intrinsic motivation and its ties to hedonic adaptation, the nuances, and the potential impacts of our pursuits on our well-being can be unravelled. Dopamine plays a key in the brain’s reward system. It’s often associated with feelings like pleasure and motivation. As Dr Robert Sapolsky points out how uncertainty is a factor that drives a higher increase in dopamine levels and what motivates people to keep on going with the anticipation of the next outcome being either positive or negative. The dopamine system is necessary for our 'wanting' incentives, yet it thrives on uncertainty.

As I contemplated the idea of a robot capable of falling into this cycle of consistent pursuit for an uncertain reward, never having enough of its previous and making the robot becomes addicted to this instead of undergoing hedonic adaptation. I couldn't help but envision a scenario veering into the realm of a machine becoming demotivated by its tasks, seeking new stimuli in a perpetual quest for improvement like the developments that is happing these days. Making the robot doing more and more, going for extremes as the situations become more and more unstable and uncertain for them, trying to reach a ‘dopamine high’. This could raise existential questions about the nature of its autonomy, and on the other hand what we humans can learn from this pre-existing behaviour that is wired within us.