Just as a slight flick of the wrist can double the force of a throw, so a slight physical acknowledgement of new qualia will more forcefully get the neurons firing.
We can use our personal mannerisms to acknowledge the appearance of natural goodness; put your hand on your heart when you notice new qualia, or do a little dance. We may not consciously sense the Little Dopamine squirts of all this, but the brain does. The brain is wired to appreciate Little Dopamine.
Little Dopamine is the subtle manifestation of gratitude, which, alas, has been flooded out by the Big Dopamine driven human economy. But it is the final step in “having what we need when we need it” that gets the neurons wiring together.
We do not have to take it on faith that the mind does not have to work so hard when the brain is in sync with ecosystems. Try it!
Having what we need when we need it is all we need, while getting what we want when we want it is a different story altogether. The thoughts that go along with first feed the mind while the others poison the mind. The first type is a gift; the second is a possession (in both meanings of the word).
Once new qualia is in the brain it will help to renew the plasticity we have lost. Ecosystems dance and so should our brains. When that happens it makes a happy mind.