Same Psychology, Different Outcome

“So you’re trying to replace ice cream with vegetables?” Someone asked me this in a recent conversation at a dinner with investors and founders.

It was in response to me describing how we want to replace doomscrolling with meaningful engagement, and how we’re redesigning the incentive system behind social media.

I hear a version of this comment fairly often, albeit not always so elegantly put.

Most people assume that doomscrolling and junk content are inevitable because they’re tied to dopamine and human nature.

But is that the right assumption?

My answer?

Not quite.

I’m not trying to remove dopamine.

I’m trying to retrain it.

I’ve spent years building engagement systems designed to spark creativity and fun, and I’m proud of that work.

But over time, it became clear that not every kind of engagement leaves people better.

Some systems optimize for curiosity and joy, others optimize for outrage and addiction.

The difference isn’t the psychology; it’s the incentives behind it.

The psychology that makes people scroll endlessly is the same one that makes them chase progress, streaks, and mastery.

The difference isn’t the brain.

It’s the design.

We already see it:

• closing Apple Fitness rings

• keeping a Duolingo streak alive

• beating a hard game level

• finishing a project you’re proud of

Same dopamine.

Different direction.

The future of engagement isn’t about removing dopamine; it’s about aligning it with meaning.

Same psychology. Different outcome.

Curious how others think about designing dopamine for good.