Transcript
Given that the modern economy is practically built on addiction. The following should be a required ‘lesson’ for all modern humans.
Many people still think of Dopamine as simply a neurotransmitter that rewards such and such actions with this ‘mysterious’ dose of pleasure.
But not quite. It is a herald of impending reward, which can be more compelling than the reward itself. Put simply, the pleasure is in the anticipation of the reward. This anticipation initiates a positive feedback loop, reinforcing the connection between stimulus and action.
If you have experienced the piercing screech of noise during a concert, caused when a microphone picks up its own output from the speakers; then you know what a feedback loop is. If certain conditions present itself, this loop can escalate, resulting in a noise so intense it could damage the speakers.
But I digress, take a fellow who enjoys perhaps a bit too much alcohol.
When their alcohol consumption leads to a release of dopamine in anticipation of relief or pleasure, it strengthens the likelihood of the behavior's recurrence, potentially creating a self-sustaining cycle. (This is particularly pernicious in folks with genetic predisposition to alcoholism.)
The cycle is further exacerbated when environmental cues alone suffice to trigger dopamine release, making the craving for the habit extremely difficult to overcome.
In humans, this translates into the power of contextual cues associated with substance use, such as a specific location or time, which can induce cravings even in the absence of the substance. And in case you are wondering, this dopaminergic mechanism is what underpins fetishes.
The challenge, then, is to break both the behavioral pattern and the anticipatory loop. Effective intervention must address the triggers that initiate the loop, often stress or environmental cues, and not just the habit they reinforce.
How Dopamine Destroys Life