Apples and raisins
"There's a fascinating piece of research by Wolfram Schultz (von Schönburg, 2006:170). Schultz kept monkeys in cages and conditioned them: each time before they would receive a treat (a slice of apple) a lamp went on. The monkeys learned that the light always precedes the treat. Their eager little brains released dopamine as soon as the light went on. Dopamine intensified awareness and excited the so called 'pleasure centres'. Now when the apple arrived the dopamine level remained as it was. It didn't get any higher, and after a while it sank again. In short, the pleasure derived from expectation was a much stronger change of awareness than the actual experience that followed.
The monkeys had learned to shift the pleasure of getting a real slice of apple to the expectation of getting one. In monkeys, and to an extent in people, expectation tends to produce a stronger kick than their fulfilment. It may be a key to the fact that humans are rarely content with anything. But Schultz went beyond this. After the monkeys were well used to apple slices, he replaced them with raisins. Our monkeys much preferred raisins and reacted with a stronger dopamine release. Schultz got them used to raisins. Then he changed to apple slices again. The monkeys were deeply disappointed. The light signal now produced a much weaker reaction, in fact, the dopamine release was so much reduced that it lay below the level originally produced by apple slices. In short, apple slices, which had been 'great' before the raisin experience were only 'good' afterwards. Our monkeys were behaving like sated consumers. Now you wouldn't really think about what you could think about yourself now? When does your life revolve around raisins and when is it apples? And just when are you only chasing lights that promise satisfaction? Expectations, apples and raisins are more than funny research. They are the foundation of the entire advertisement and entertainment industry, and of the things that make you tick while you blissfully assume that are making rational decissions. Western civilisation is based on the triumph of too few apple slices, less raisins and far too many blinking lights."
-- Jan Fries, 'Nightshades'
