Why You Want More (Even When It’s Not That Good)

Why You Want More (Even When It’s Not That Good)

From Breaking Up With Binge Eating by Georgie Fear and the Confident Eaters Team

June 1, 2026 · 19 min · Season 3 · Episode 3

About this episode

Georgie explains the difference between wanting and liking, exploring why urges can persist even when pleasure diminishes.

New to the show? Start Here: https://breakingupwithbingeeating.transistor.fm/start-here Pick the listening path that fits what you’re dealing with right now. Show Notes: Have you ever thought, “I don’t even like this that much… so why do I still want more?” In this episode, Georgie explains the difference between wanting and liking —and why urges can stay loud even when pleasure is fading. You’ll learn how wanting and liking are supported by partly different brain systems: dopamine-heavy motivation circuits help generate the “go get it” drive, while pleasure is more tied to hedonic circuits involving opioid and endocannabinoid signaling. The takeaway: drive and pleasure can decouple. That’s why food can feel magnetic even when it’s not actually delivering much satisfaction. Georgie also walks through three common reasons wanting can run hotter than liking: cues and habit loops, scarcity, and stress or depletion. You’ll learn how to use a not worth it list , a pleasure check , and the concept of diminishing returns to interrupt the trance of “more will fix it.” Try this week: Pick one risk food or one risk time when wanting tends to get loud. If you eat, pause partway through and…

People in this episode

Host: Georgie

Topics covered

  • binge eating
  • urges
  • pleasure
  • motivation
  • brain systems
  • food cues
  • diminishing returns

Keywords

  • binge eating
  • urges
  • liking vs wanting
  • dopamine
  • pleasure circuits
  • food satisfaction
  • risk food
  • habit loops

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