South Africa, July 15 -- But a reward is not only an object or a transaction. For the person earning it, the value is felt far more broadly, and over a much longer period. A reward starts shaping emotion well before it arrives, and it can carry on doing so long after redemption.

This is the emotional arc of rewards that the participant experiences, with three stages: the anticipation of earning a reward, the experience of receiving it, and the memory it leaves behind. At every stage, emotional value can be built up or broken down.

1. Anticipation

This is where emotional investment begins. Well before anything is redeemed, participants start forming a connection to the reward. They feel desire and motivation, and they begin to imagine. ...