The Dopamine Epidemic

A few days ago, I stumbled across a video about dopamine and how it effects people's thinking and behavior and, if I recall, how it can be addictive. There's no doubt about it in my mind. The dopamine reward, the feeling you get, can be a thing you are motivated to experience again, just like the last opiate reaction or the last rush you got from smoking weed. It's like what keeps people coming back for the next hit of fentanyl even though you risk your life every time you do it.

Dopamine is like that.

Seriously.

Dopamine rushes can control your life.

I'm thinking of maybe ranting on this topic for a bit.

I'll begin with one simple observation. Dopamine isn't necessarily looking for anything real to trigger it. Think porn for instance. Porn is video images either on paper or onscreen along with sounds. It probably was real when it was recorded but there's nothing real about it when you see it. Yet it triggers dopamine. Heck even fictional sex or pornographic music like what's on the radio these days for young listeners are meant to meant to trigger dopamine. Video games let you pump yourself full of dopamine. Even cellphone use does it and addicts users to their expensive cellphones.

Think about this. I should pick up here maybe next time and explain how virtue signaling allows you to give yourself a shot of dopamine as a reward. If you don't understand virtue signaling, you should. Google it...