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CAPTIVATED: unlocking what makes us tick, click, and buy, with psychology-backed tips and behavioral science shortcuts.
Today’s Edition of Captivated: The Dopamine Loop: Why Anticipation is More Addictive than Achievement
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Oh the thrill of the chase!
You know that tiny rush you get when your package is “out for delivery”? Or that little thrill right before you tap a notification?
That’s dopamine.
And you don’t even get the biggest hit when you receive the thing. You get it when you anticipate it.
The Dopamine Loop is the cycle that keeps people hooked, not on rewards themselves, but on the feeling of almost getting them.
It’s what drives slot machines, streaks, shopping carts, and every “loading…” animation that feels juuust slow enough to keep you waiting.
Let’s unpack how anticipation fuels motivation, and how you can design it into your product, content, and customer experience.
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🧭 INSIDE THIS EDITION
📈 FUN FACT: DID YOU KNOW?
Researchers found that dopamine can spike up to 225% higher when a reward is anticipated, versus when it’s received.
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.. How Did We Get Here? ..
Dopamine evolved as the brain’s motivational engine, a chemical that pushes us to seek rather than simply savor.
In nature, that meant foraging, hunting, and learning. In modern life, it means notifications, countdowns, and progress bars.
Every time we anticipate a result, a sale, a like, a win, dopamine fires. It’s the brain’s way of saying, “Keep going, something good might happen.”
And here’s the loop: The more we anticipate, the more dopamine we release. The more dopamine we release, the more we crave the next anticipation.
That’s how habit loops form, and how some brands quietly build daily engagement without shouting a single word.
Neuroscientist Wolfram Schultz discovered that dopamine spikes not at the moment of reward, but right before it.
When monkeys learned that a light signaled juice was coming, their dopamine levels surged at the light, not the juice.
Anticipation, not outcome, drives the craving.
All of this means your brain fires more strongly when you’re waiting for something than when you finally get it.
This is why:
People check tracking pages an average of 6+ times per order
Countdown timers can increase conversions by up to 30%
“Coming soon” pages often get more engagement than the launch announcement
Building these types of experiences, ethically, into the customer’s journey can make a huge difference.
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.. Brain Science-Backed: The Psychology Behind It ..
🧠 THE ANTICIPATION BIAS:
We overvalue experiences that are just out of reach.
Studies show the brain’s pleasure centers light up more in anticipation than during the actual reward. This heightened neural response makes the “almost” stage feel more stimulating than the outcome itself.
🧠 THE DOPAMINE FEEDBACK LOOP:
A cue triggers a burst of dopamine, which creates a sense of wanting and prepares the brain for action.
When the reward arrives, dopamine briefly stabilizes. And the brain stores the sequence (cue, craving, action, reward) as a learned loop.
The more times this happens, this loop becomes stronger and more automatic.
Think refreshing social feeds, checking delivery updates, or sitting through a slow-loading screen because you know something is coming.
🧠 VARIABLE REWARD THEORY:
When rewards are unpredictable, sometimes small, sometimes big, dopamine spikes even higher.
It’s the same mental mechanic behind slot machines, “You’ve got mail,” social scrolling, and mystery releases. That uncertainty fuels anticipation.
🧠 POST-REWARD DRIP:
Once we achieve the goal, dopamine drops sharply.
That’s why achievement feels less satisfying than the chase of the achievement, and why we immediately look for the next thing to pursue.
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.. Use this Psychology Strategy ..
Here’s how to tap into dopamine in your brand or product:
1: DESIGN ANTICIPATION MOMENTS
Build up to it. Use countdowns, pre-release teasers, or unlock sequences to activate pre-reward dopamine.
2: VISUALIZE “ALMOST THERE” PROGRESS
Progress bars, streaks, and “1 spot left” triggers create tension and drive completion. People stay hooked when they can see what’s coming.
3: INTRODUCE VARIABLE REWARDS
Mix in surprise bonuses, rotating content, or unpredictable perks. The brain loves novelty wrapped in routine.
4: KEEP THE LOOP ALIVE POST-REWARD
Immediately offer the next small goal after a user completes one. Momentum fades fast, and you can chain the next cue while dopamine’s still flowing.
5: BALANCE EXCITEMENT WITH REST
Sustainable engagement requires dopamine recovery. Use calm moments (confirmation screens, summary pages, end-of-day reflections) to help users feel completion, instead of constant compulsion, which can easily backfIre.
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.. tl;dr & captivated wrap-up ..
The thrill of the chase is real, and anticipation is the spark that keeps people moving.
Our brains are wired to light up not when we finally get the thing, but when we’re riiight on the edge of it.
Every cue, every countdown, every “almost there” moment, nudges the dopamine system forward and keeps us engaged in the chase.
Brands that understand this create gentle tension, little signals, moments of progress, and tiny surprises that make the experience feel fun, not forced.
The real magic of the Dopamine Loop is, when we design for momentum, and give people space to breathe, we help them stay curious, stay captivated, and enjoy the process as much as the payoff.
tl;dr:
If you learn to design anticipation into your customer journey, thoughtfully, ethically, and with care, you unlock one of the most powerful engines of engagement the human brain has ever known.
👋 Until next time,
Profit Nic
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