76. People Are Programmed to Enjoy Surprises

Craving The Unexpected

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• The human brain craves the unexpected. Researcher Gregory Berns used a device to squirt either water or fruit juice into people's mouths while their brains were being scanned by an fMRI device. At times, the participants could tell whether they were going to get a squirt and other times it was unpredictable. The researchers assumed they'd see activity based on preference of juice or water. The result was actually the opposite. What showed activity was the surprise, not the preference.

Nice Surprises vs. Unpleasant Surprises

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• Not every surprise is created equally. If it's your birthday and you walk into your home and all your friends and family yell "Surprise!", that's a totally different kind of surprise than finding an intruder in your home.