How does our brain know when an activity is fun or boring?
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One theory I’ve heard is that what’s interesting/fun/engaging is what produces an optimal amount of “cognitive stress”.
The play instinct drives a brain to feed itself experience in order to grow its skill. What is boring is that which isn’t providing enough new information to be useful, and what is overwhelming is that which provides too much new information and it can’t be processed.
When something is fun it’s because it’s right inside that window of the perfect level of stimulation and complexity for us to grow.
To give an example I like to play Halo ranked games, because the ranking system always pits me against people who are right at my skill level. Those games right at my skill level are super engaging because I have a chance of winning but it’s not easy and it takes everything I’ve got.
And when I play ranked games, my skill improved rapidly. When I go back to unranked games I can see how much my skill has changed because I do so much better.
Those ranked games are both optimal learning experiences, and maximum fun.
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