the prefrontal cortex and the striatum—“keep track of recent successes and failures for many seconds, long enough for it to play a role in guiding the learning the next time an opportunity to learn comes up

monkeys’ brains are similar enough to humans

neural processing in the brain improves after a recent success and doesn't improve much after a recent failure

[T]he neurons themselves retained a memory of the correct action, paving the way for continued success

a study by psychology professor Mario Liotti. Liotti and his team examined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brains of swimmers who failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympic team. The scans were recorded while the swimmers watched videos of their failed qualifying races. Liotti “found that a region of the brain that plans future actions (the pre-motor cortex) appeared inhibited when the elite athletes saw themselves “lose,”

But endorphins, which are “stimulated by exercise alone and heightened when accompanied by experiences like winning or a spectacular performance,” create “ephemeral” reactions in the brain

the ability to get yourself to take action.