Navigating the Delicate Balance of Pleasure and Guilt

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The insights emphasized the complexity of pleasure and guilt, highlighting that what is perceived as bad or good can often be the opposite. It encouraged embracing a variety of pleasures that bring meaningfulness and joy, rather than focusing on strict moderation. The importance of recognizing and challenging internal 'pleasure police' was underscored, along with the idea that pleasures exist in shades of gray. It emphasized the significance of sharing pleasures with others to cultivate connections and meaningful experiences, noting that suppressing certain pleasures could hinder these connections. Overall, the message conveyed the importance of embracing a variety of pleasures with an open mind, understanding that pleasures can bring meaningful connections and fulfillment.

We've all been there: You sit down for one episode of a reality TV show, and six hours later you're sitting guiltily on the couch, blinking the screen-induced crust off your eyeballs.

Okay. Maybe you haven't been there like our team has. But it's likely you have at least one guilty pleasure, whether it's playing video games, reading romance novels or getting swept into obscure corners of TikTok. It turns out that experiencing – and studying – pleasure is not as straightforward as it might seem. And yet, pleasure is quite literally key to the survival of humanity. So today on the show, we explore the pleasure cycle: What it is, where it lives in the brain and how to have a healthier relationship with the things that make us feel good.

Want more on the brain? Email us the neuroscience you want us to talk about at shortwave@npr.org! (Also please email us if you would like to gush about any of the books you've been loving — romantasy or otherwise!)

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