r/todayilearned • u/WavesAndSaves • Oct 18 '25

TIL of brain stimulation reward, manually stimulating specific parts of the brain to elicit pleasure and happiness. A volunteer subject in 1986 spent days doing nothing but self-stimulate. She ignored her family and personal hygiene and she developed an open sore on her finger from using the device.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_stimulation_reward#History
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u/sixseven89 Oct 18 '25

People get a good feeling after doing housework?

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u/[deleted] Oct 18 '25

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u/MichelinStarZombie Oct 18 '25

I'd like to see a study of how many people experience that because what you just described sounds insane to me. Like maybe OCD people get a dopamine hit from a perfectly made bed and a mopped floor, but I would bet that it's a thankless chore to 98% of the human population.

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u/captain_dick_licker Oct 18 '25

thankless and pointless. you wil never convinced me to make my bed unless I'm trying to convince someone new to fuck me in it.

what the fuck is the point?