Your brain rewards learning new words in a unique way
Researchers in Germany and Spain performed a study in 2014 which revealed that your brain may have a unique method of rewarding you when you learn new vocabulary words.
The reward for learning new words is stimulation of the same area of the brain as sex
The 36 participants in the study were exposed to language learning activities which caused stimulation of the ventral striatum, a part of the human brain processes motivation and reward.
The ventral striatum area of the human brain is also related to gambling, drug highs and delicious food
Motivation and reward are key in learning any language.
If there is no motivation, you will most likely not start learning.
If there is no reward, you will most likely not continue learning.
More scientific depth into this study
The pleasure of learning new words
The Role of Reward in Word Learning and Its Implications for Language Acquisition
Other write-ups about this study
Learning New Words Activates The Same Brain Regions As Sex And Drugs
Scientists Have Discovered an Activity Just as Pleasurable as Sex, Drugs and Gambling