Anyone who’s spent time with a two-year-old knows that toddlers are fascinated by cause and effect. Flip a switch on the wall, and a light goes on. Press a button and a doorbell rings. Express even the slightest interest in an electrical outlet and an adult will come running. It’s a trait we never outgrow: no matter what age we are, we really love getting reactions to things that we do. In psychology, these reactions are called “reinforcements”, and the more reinforcements we get when we do something, the more likely we are to do it again. (Oddly, the reaction doesn’t have to be positive. You
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