Money is an effective abstract, secondary and generalizable reinforcer that acquires its value by social interaction, and it is used in emotional learning in everyday human experience; compromised processing of this reward may therefore point to a socially disadvantageous emotional learning mechanism in addiction. Such a deficit, all the more distinct given the strong motivational and arousal value that is normally associated with this reward, would corroborate the idea that in addiction, brain reward circuits are ‘hijacked’ by drugs, although the possibility for a pre-existing deficit in reward processing also cannot be ruled out.
