The Learner's High
I believe no high comes closer to the dopamine rush you get from learning something new. The a-ha moment. Archimedes called it 'Eureka', or the English translation 'I have found it'. I call it the 'Learner's High'.
Many of us, loved that feeling in school or university. Where you are stuck on a problem, and the solution is as non-existent as an honest politician. Then almost unexpectedly it all just....... clicks.
I did a math-heavy Econ degree. So some problems required advanced calculus, and I used to spend hours and hours in a battle where my ammunition was my brain's ability to think out of the box. Trying to solve the problem at the library, in the park, in the shower. Relentlessly trying to find the solution. Then suddenly it all clicked.
The feeling was euphoric. I could have just cheated and used an LLM to solve the problem. But that would have meant robbing my brain of an orgasmic feeling.
The longer you are stuck at a problem, the sweeter the high. Maybe that's why I am obsessed with entrepreneurship. Every day presents a different problem. I have to learn things very fast and through extreme first principles. And when I find the solution, the high is accompanied by long-term monetary gain as well.
Neuroplasticity and Evolution
Learning physically reshapes your brain. Strengthening synapses based on what you feed it. The feeling of growing mastery in a subject is tied to your brain's intrinsic motivation systems.
Therefore, the happiness you get from learning isn't incidental. It's deeply rooted in your monkey brain. Human evolution suggests that our brains are wired to derive pleasure from learning because organisms that found acquiring information rewarding had better chances of survival.
The Hippocampus - VTA loop
Simply put. Your Hippocampus is responsible for storing memories. Your VTA (ventral tegmental area) is responsible for dopamine production. When your hippocampus encounters novel information, it triggers dopamine release via the VTA. The feeling is very pleasurable and gets encoded into your hippocampus (long-term memory retention). This is partially why learning feels rewarding and why rewarding experiences are remembered well.
Conclusion
Your nervous system is starving and is in dire need of the 'Learner's High'. Give it the oxygen it needs. Wonder starts to play when you passionately dedicate yourself to learning something new. Learning should only end when you do.