Ever thought why we’re getting excited over small things and surprises? Wonder why an ordinary or small surprise brings us pleasure more than buying yourself something you wanted for a long time? It’s simple. When your brain knows that you’re going to get something you want, you’ll be happy. But not happy as you would be if you were surprised! When we experience a surprise, the level of serotonin and dopamine in our body increases amazingly. This makes experiences more enjoyable. But more things are hiding in surprises! Check our article and find out why surprise brings us pleasure. And, consider surprising your loved one for a New Year’s Eve.

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Surprise improves our mental health.

Did you know that surprise is not only reserved for increasing the amount of happiness in our lives? Surprise actually improves our mental health! It’s because a surprise triggers the release of dopamine, a chemical that can do wonders for our brain, including stave off bad feelings.  An element of surprise, especially a good one, improves our mood. It also builds a tolerance for uncertainty, which in turn reduces anxiety. And all these factors help us to improve our mental health and reduce depression.

Surprise improves our romantic relationships.

Every relationship has its ups and downs. This is why we are searching for ways to spice things up. So, ever heard the saying "surprise is the spice of life"? Surprises are the best way to improve your romantic relationship, no doubts. And it’s not just a phrase. Studies have shown that when people are bored in their relationship they become less attracted to each other, and an element of surprise can change that! The best way to create an element of surprise is through surprises. Although a sense of safety and comfort is important to release oxytocin (the cuddle chemical) and build trust, a comfort zone can sometimes kill the romance. On the other side, surprise and mystery boost our dopamine levels and triggers attraction and excitement. So, feeling bored in a relationship? Surprise yourself and your loved one with a subscription box!

Surprise helps us learn.

Studies have shown that surprises drive the motivation to learn and is an important tool in cognitive development. Being surprised means we are unaware that something—the thing that surprises us, existed at all, and how? Scientists say that surprise teaches us that things are not happening as we expected. More specifically, the surprise is your brain's way of alerting you to pay attention, which in turn activates curiosity, excitement, and wonder—key elements to absorbing information.  Surprise helps us learn, and think more flexibly and creatively.

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The element of surprise delivers 4x the level of serotonin!

Did you know that the element of surprise delivers 4x the level of serotonin? Remember the feeling when you’re unwrapping a gift not knowing what’s inside? The element of surprise increases the level of serotonin in our body more than anything. It’s because a surprise is like a mini fight-or-flight moment in our brains. So, when we experience a surprise, when we have a set of expectations and we get something else, our brain doesn't really know what to do with it. And imagine being surprised by something you wanted so badly! A subscription box is a great way to experience the element of surprise.

The subscription box delivers an element of surprise every month!

Thinking about getting more pleasure and happiness in an upcoming year? Choose a subscription box! The subscription box brings us joy and excitement about opening the gifts every month. With a subscription box, an element of surprise will strike you every month! Besides, when you buy yourself or someone a gift, it’s usually a one-time gift. But with subscription boxes, you’ll feel like every month is your birthday. With lifestyle subscription boxes or personalized gift boxes, you’ll be surprised pleasantly more than ever before! Choose our winter subscription box and surprise yourself with unique products and the best gadgets in 2019!

Surprise brings the “Er” moment 

So, surprise brings the “Er” moment. What is “Er” moment? This is pretty interesting research. It’s explained like this: if something is happy, but it comes with a surprise, it's going to be happier. If something is really sad, but you're surprised by it, that's sadder. And if something makes you really proud, but you get surprised by this, you're going to feel prouder. Do you notice anything? Being happier, sadder and prouder by a surprise, ends with “er”. That’s a very powerful tool, especially when you think about what we do as event marketers, and as event planners, as experience creators.

Surprise feeds our novelty bias.

Another fact is proven by scientists. As humans, our brains are hardwired to enjoy new experiences and learn new things. Let’s give some examples. Remember when you got a new car? The feeling when you started a new relationship? Or just get an unexpected text message from your sympathy or getting a dream job offer? Yes, these are representing the feeling we’re talking about. So, when something like a surprise appears, our brain releases more dopamine, once again giving us a shot of pleasure. We can say that a surprise feeds off our love for the unexpected and something new.

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Surprise intensifies our emotions.

Of course, there are positive but also negative surprises. Both types of surprises intensify our emotions. Although our brains don’t like all surprises, they do take all surprises seriously. Scientific research has shown that surprise intensifies our emotions by about 400 percent, which explains why we love positive surprises and hate negative surprises. But speaking of nice surprises, this is why a gift or an unexpected proposal feels like the greatest moment of your life.

And above all.. it makes us happy!

And of course, the simplest reason surprise brings us pleasure, is because it makes us happy! The scientists have discovered by measuring hormones and brain activity, that sense of pleasure when being surprised, or surprising others, makes us feel much happier than before. So, the more surprise we receive and give, the happier we feel.