Every new experience that we have creates neural pathways in our nervous system making possible, in this way, the sharing of electrochemical between neurons located in different parts of the brain and nervous system.
And when we repeat a specific experience we create a new neural pathway each time we repeat it. Also, we relate those new pathways created with the ones created previously (while having the same kind of experience) and we related them with the subconscious perceptions, reactions, thoughts, and other memories surrounding the experience.
Because of the accumulation of information surrounded an specific experience, the brain makes sense of what it is and how it makes us feel, the effect it had on us, emotionally and physically, all according to the unconscious memory associations created by the brain.
In terms of reward, depending on how strong the memory associations are, we tend and can be motivated to repeat pleasant experiences and try to avoid the experiences that gave us an unpleasant effect. And, as well, to be indifferent or neutral about stuff we didn’t create associations yet.
We have limited control of how we store information but knowing how this works. we can tell why we react in ways we do when in contact with certain information and what drives our actions and behavior. Including why get motivated to decide taking distinct actions when presented with particular perceptions.
Motivation and reward to take specific actions are triggered by our memories relating to specific subjects. This system of neural pathways and associations is known as motivational circuitry or motivational neural circuit or reward system.