Part 5/8:
The act of buying books can trigger a dopamine response—a short-lived surge of pleasure stemming from the anticipation of the reading experience. We may envision the enjoyment of losing ourselves in the stories or gaining knowledge, yet that immediate high can fade, leading our shelves to become populated with dusty volumes of forgotten promises.
When we purchase a new title, we often project ourselves into a fantasy where the act of ownership equates to future satisfaction. This creates a cycle of enthusiasm, followed by disappointment when the reading doesn’t happen.