It’s likely you have at least one “guilty pleasure.” Maybe it’s romance novels. Or reality TV… Playing video games… or getting swept into <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/02/08/1229783535/ultimate-world-cruise-tiktok-reality-show"target="_blank" >obscure corners of TikTok</a>. Neuroscientists say the pleasure response helps us survive as a species. So why do we feel embarrassed by some of the things we love the most? Even if you don't have these negative emotions, experiencing – and studying – pleasure is not as straightforward as it might seem. For a long time, neuroscientists thought the concept of "pleasure" referred to a singular system in the brain. But as research into the subject grew, scientists realized that pleasure is really a cycle of "wanting" and "liking" – each with separate neural mechanisms. Today on the show, producer <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1112796909/rachel-carlson"target="_blank" >Rachel Carlson</a> explores this cycle with researchers, who weigh in on the science of pleasure. Even the kind that makes us feel guilty.  Read more of <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/06/15/nx-s1-5006168/guilty-pleasure-meaning-brain-science"target="_blank" >Rachel’s story</a> on guilty pleasures.  Interested in more brain science? Email us your question at <a href="mailto:shortwave@npr.org"target="_blank" >shortwave@npr.org</a>. Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/shortwave"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org/shortwave</a>. To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below: See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

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This is your brain on pleasure (even the guilty kind)

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