ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Hedonic motivation

Hello there! Today, we are going to talk about hedonic motivation.

Hedonic motivation is when we do things to feel good or happy. This can be anything from eating a yummy chocolate cake to playing with our favorite toy.

Our minds and bodies are always seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. So if we do something and it feels good, we want to do it again. This is called positive reinforcement.

For example, if you try a new ice cream flavor and you really like it, you might want to eat it again and again. That's because your brain remembers how good it felt when you ate it, and now you want to feel that pleasure again.

On the other hand, if something doesn't feel good, we want to avoid it. This is called negative reinforcement. For example, if you touch something that's too hot, it hurts your hand, and you quickly move your hand away. Your mind remembers that this thing is painful, so you don't want to touch it again.

Now, hedonic motivation can be both good and bad. If we do things that make us happy and are good for us, like playing with friends or exercising, it can be good for our mental and physical health. But if we do things that are harmful to ourselves or others, like bullying or addiction, it can be very bad.

So to sum up, hedonic motivation is when we do things to feel happy and good. Our minds want pleasure and avoid pain. If something feels good, we want to do it again, but if something feels painful, we want to avoid it. It's important to make choices that bring us happiness in a healthy way.