What GLP-1s May Tell Us About Novelty
Novelty makes us thrive. But not always.
Posted July 8, 2025 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan
Evolution has given us amazing bodies that have thrived over millions of years. One of the key reasons is that we are curious. We have continued, over the eons, to search out new ways of doing things, new places to go, new ways of solving problems. Although we are certainly capable of taking the status quo for granted, in the end, we are always attracted to change. Back in the sixth century BCE, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus nailed it when he observed, “The only constant in life is change.”
Novelty-seeking is in our DNA , and we should not deny it. We thrive when we are curious, seek new experiences, and take advantage of our brains’ capacity for learning new things. We know that, as we age, keeping our minds sharp depends on seeking new challenges, being part of a community, and staying active with family or hobbies.
Dopamine and Ghrelin Affect Novelty Seeking
Research tells us what areas of the brain light up when we are seeking novelty, or just plain enjoying it. Dopamine has been identified as the “reward” molecule. When we do something that feels stimulating to our senses, dopamine tells us so, and we are then likely to look for that stimulus again. Dopamine sets us up to learn about and remember that experience.
Dopamine, like all molecules in our bodies, does not act alone. In addition to being linked via synapses to many areas of the brain, dopamine is linked to the hunger hormone , ghrelin. That makes sense. Ghrelin tells us when we are hungry, and that we need to seek out some food. Dopamine could tell us what we have enjoyed in the past. This may be something like a satisfying meal of grilled chicken, rice, and stir-fry vegetables, or it could be an ice cream sundae and a bag of chips.
Research (2012) has doubled down on ghrelin as playing an important role in a wide range of novelty-seeking behavior. They note that ghrelin increases food, alcohol , and cocaine reward-related behavior. Ghrelin also has an influence on dopamine receptors. Importantly, their research finds that pharmacological or genetic impairment of ghrelin neurotransmission reduces these behaviors.
These findings tie in nicely with current research regarding the effect of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy. GLP-1 acts on the brain to reduce the reward of food.
More and more research indicates that GLP-1 analogues can have a blunting effect on addictions like drugs and alcohol. Drug and alcohol use have been linked time and again to individuals with prominent personality traits that seek novelty.
It appears that GLP-1’s influence on appetite is linked to novelty-seeking.
Unfortunately, our current environment is rife with opportunities to indulge in addictions. Drugs and alcohol aside, we are surrounded by processed and ultra-processed foods that are made from the very addictive substances of sugar, salt, and fat. Many of these foods have been linked to overeating, weight gain, and our current obesity epidemic.
While the increased availability and consumption of processed and ultra-processed food has been linked directly to making us fat, there are other intriguing nuances that link novelty to that problematic process.
Novelty Can Signal Scarcity
A very recent study (2025) puts forward that the novelty that processed foods gives us actually creates underlying feelings of f ood scarcity. How can this be, given that we may be over-indulging in these types of foods?
This research explains it this way:
Now let’s take a look at what has been called “The Blue Zones” by Dan Buettner. Buettner searched out and found five areas across the world where there seemed to be a high concentration of centenarians. He studied each population in order to discover how this could be.
He found vibrant, engaged, healthy individuals who were living well past 100 in relatively isolated places in Sardinia, Okinawa, Loma Linda, CA, Costa Rica, and Greece. Interestingly, it appeared that none of the people in these areas relied on food for novelty. Most of them ate the same things every day, with seasonal variations. Diets centered around fruits and vegetables, beans, grains, and sometimes meat. Some often had the same breakfast every day, some sort of soup for lunch, and food from the garden for dinner. Simple.
They seemed to get plenty of novelty in other ways. Most were surrounded by family and community, had a specific role in the community which provided purpose, maintained a normal weight, and got plenty of exercise.
We can see an extreme difference between the health of these individuals and those suffering from the consequences of an environment that is laced with novel, unhealthy food items. While we may not be able to live in a rural, isolated community, consuming local produce, and surrounded by a supportive community, there are lessons to be learned here.
Our environment has cashed in on our desire for novelty, but the ultra-processed foods found so ubiquitously now give our bodies the opposite. Ultra-processed novelty may light up our reward centers, and keep us coming back, but that novelty is not good for our bodies or our minds. As in the Blue Zones, we can reap the benefits of novelty in ways other than food. The success of GLP-1s may be showing us the way.
Hansson, C., et al. (2012). Ghrelin Influences Novelty Seeking Behavior in Rodents and Men. PLos ONE , 7(12). E50409.
Ben-Dor, M., and Klement, R.J. (2025). The “Novelty-as-Scarcity” Hypothesis: An Evolutionary Explanation for the Global Obesity Epidemic. Dol: 10.20944/preprints202506.0419.vl.
Dickson, S.I., Shirazi, R.H., Hansson, C., Bergquist, F., Nissbrandt, H., Skibicka, K.P. (2012). The Glucose-Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1) Analogue, Exendin-4, Decreases the Rewarding Value of Food: A New Role for Mesolimbic GLP-1 Receptors. Journal of Neuroscience. 321(14), 4812-4820.
Hayes, M.R., Schmidt, H.D. (2016). GLP-1 influences food and drug reward. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. Vol. 9, 66-70.
Buettner, D., (2012). The Blue Zones . National Geographic Partners, Washington, D.C.
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Kristen Carter, M.S., is an exercise physiologist and the author of The End of Try Try Again: Overcome Your Weight Loss and Exercise Struggles for Good.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.