"Wanting is a motivational process that drives us toward attaining a rewarding outcome. This motivation arises largely from mesolimbic dopamine systems, which make certain reward cues and goals more prominent. Put simply, "wanting" is an urge to obtain something. Thus, it is about pursuing something (or someone) we believe will be rewarding and enjoyable to us."
"Liking, in contrast, is the pleasurable experience of receiving a rewarding outcome. These pleasurable sensations arise from "hedonic hotspots" in various limbic structures, which do not run on dopamine. Essentially, "liking" is a feeling of how satisfied we are by something when we do obtain it."
Wanting motivates approach toward a predicted reward and arises primarily from mesolimbic dopamine systems that amplify reward cues and goals. Liking constitutes the hedonic, pleasurable response to actually receiving a reward and is produced by limbic "hedonic hotspots" that operate independently of dopamine. Wanting and liking normally interact within the brain's reward circuitry but represent distinct processes with different neural substrates. The two processes can become dissociated, allowing strong urges toward outcomes that no longer produce comparable pleasure, a pattern seen in addiction-like situations. Cues and sensitization mechanisms can amplify wanting without increasing liking.
Read at Psychology Today
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