Learning Reverses the Temporal Coupling Between Curiosity and Pleasure During a Live Listening Experience

Curiosity, a fundamental human drive, is typically associated with the experience of pleasure. However, little is known about how they unfold and interact over time, or how acquired knowledge shapes this interplay in real-life. Here, we investigated the temporal dynamics and interdependence of curiosity and pleasure during a large live music event. Concert-goers (N=660) continuously rated their feelings of pleasure or curiosity via a smartphone slider while listening to a piece largely unfamiliar to most listeners, Fratres by Arvo Pärt, performed by the Milan Symphonic Orchestra. Then, participants received a conference-style presentation on the music’s structure, composition, and the neuroscience of music. The same piece was then performed again, and participants rated their curiosity or pleasure once more. Memory for both musical and factual information was assessed the following day. The results revealed distinct temporal patterns: although the temporal dynamics of both curiosity and pleasure mirrored the structure of the piece, curiosity remained stable across exposures, whereas pleasure increased from the first to the second performance. Granger-causality analysis showed that during the first exposure curiosity anticipated pleasure, while in the second, after information gain, pleasure forecasted curiosity. These dynamics were modulated by individual differences in sensitivity to musical reward, with more hedonic individuals providing higher ratings across both performances. Furthermore, musical reward enhanced memory performance. This study provides insights into the temporal interplay between curiosity and pleasure in a real-world setting, challenging traditional views on curiosity satiation and showing how acquired knowledge shapes exploration and engagement with abstract rewards.