The anticipation of a result is more enjoyable than the result itself. Usually, the buildup requires some sort of tension or intensity, and the climax needs to match the energy of the build. The effect is also increased by the duration of the build.
You can see clear examples in modern day where people are exploiting this fact.
In Music
Let’s start with a benign example. There are many forms of music that utilize this structure. From dance music to classical, you will find pieces where the music builds and builds and builds with tension… and then release! You get a wave of relief and sometimes you get goosebumps (or goose skin, if you’re from the UK–not sure if they’re the same thing).
Here are a few of my favorite examples:
Yet if you bounce around the track or skip straight to the climax… nothing. No release, no goose bumps. You get nothing. Also if the climax doesn’t play out, the effect is ruined.
I can go more into this topic specifically with music, but I think I’ll save it for another post. In short, the key words are Fibonacci sequence, the Golden Ratio, chord progressions, and Debussy.
If you’re interested in learning more about these specifically, I recommend just Googling it. Music is so closely intertwined with mathematics that it would be difficult to avoid it when analyzing music.
Slot Machines
Have you ever sat down at a slot machine and won on your very first pull?
Ha. Yeah, me neither.
Have you heard about the people who played Wordle for the first time and had accidentally guessed the correct word on their first try? The game wasn’t very exciting for them. For the rest of us, every time we enter our first word for the day, we wait in anticipation to see if our guess is the answer.
The same thing applies to any sort of game where chance is a big factor. Even though we know that the odds are against us, we play for the anticipation of the win. If win too often, the game loses its appeal.
Tik Tok & Other Short-Form Media
Tiktok, and similarly, every other social media with infinite scroll (Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter… so basically all of them), are effectively slot machines. You scroll or swipe in anticipation that the next video or post will be the one that catches your attention. If it takes too long for you to find a gem, you stop scrolling, and if you only find gems, then the effect is diminished.
Knowing this, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that it’s not the content that’s addicting, it’s the swiping. It’s the pursuit of it.
How do I use this information?
You can use this knowledge to reframe your day. You might you find yourself endlessly scrolling on social media all day, but now you know that those platforms are designed like that intentionally.
It’s not even just infinite scrolling. A notification icon, an email icon, or even an audio alert give you some sense of anticipation.
I’m not necessarily saying these are bad things, but you should be aware of how they affect your behavior.
If you wanted to take this a step further, you could use this understanding to change how you motivate yourself. You can prioritize the doing your work rather than completing the work, so to speak. Instead of rushing to get something done, you can take pleasure in doing it. Nobody will pick up a great book, read only the last chapter, and have as much fun as someone who read through it all the way through.
This post is heavily inspired by the work of Dr. Andrew Huberman, who hosts a podcast on neuroscience and neurobiology. Here is one excellent episode on dopamine.