How your gadgets are turning you in to an addict

Оглавление

Damian Thompson. How your gadgets are turning you in to an addict

Copyright

Contents

About the Publisher

Отрывок из книги

Title Page Introduction Chapter 1 About the Publisher

That streak is there because our brains have evolved to seek out immediate, short-term rewards. Our ancestors needed to stuff themselves with energy-rich berries and to respond quickly to sexual stimulation; we wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t.

.....

To put it another way, we reach out for a fix.

That’s a word we associate with helpless addicts. They talk about their ‘fix’ because it feels as if they’ve temporarily fixed themselves when they take their drug of choice. There’s no mystery about this. As a result of heavy exposure to the drug, they have become dependent on frequent chemical rewards. Their brains are in a state of hypervigilance, waiting for the blessed relief of a chemical that, once tolerance develops, merely allows the addict to feel normal, as opposed to anxious and ill.

.....