The dopamine hit is real, I feel like that was identified early on by OpenAI and probably lit a fire to get ChatGPT in the hands of the public. Bf Skinner (I think) is the one who narrowed in on variable ratio reward systems to maximize operant conditioning. An LLM, with hallucinations and imperfections, is the perfect variable ratio reward system. It’s no wonder they’re getting pushed so hard along with a consumption based pricing model. Whether you’re a human, rat, plant, bacteria there’s no real defense against that kind of conditioning.

First hit on Google

https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html

I actually don’t find vibe coding satisfying is one of the many reasons I’m going back. I feel a little of what you’re talking about, but I’m a nerd. I like to code.

But I’m not dismissing your concern. Because it is one of the reasons I’m making this decision. I’m a professional. I’m not just here to feel good I’m here to do a good job over the course of a career. I think all in, when you think about writing good maintainable, software, learning, staying mentally sharp, and speed put together. Vibe coding could be less effective and maybe even in the aggregate “slower”.