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Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, there is something about a dosage / acclimation effect that can be dangerous about any kind of positive action. I think that usi

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, there is something about a dosage / acclimation effect that can be dangerous about any kind of positive action. I think that using a variable reward system keeps the brain excited (because you don't know what you are going to get) and even extremely simple and low cost variable rewards have helped drug addicts stay sober: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16203960 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16203960

jknightco 13y ago
Interesting study, I hadn't seen that one. I think one of the problematic points is this though: "...the chances of winning prizes increased with continuous time abstinent." They're literally upping the "dosage" over time. Also, the variability is in the chance of receiving a reward or not. I think that's a crucial element: rewards work well when they're not guaranteed. My final observation regarding the study is that it only lasted 12 weeks. I'd be worried that the reward group might have a higher percentage of post-program relapse than the non-reward group, as there is significant literature behind the idea that once rewards are stopped the desired behavior stops as well. I appreciate the study! Always interested in reading more about human behavior.