COMMENTS: By Volkow, who is the head of NIDA. Real simple – food addiction parallels drug addiction in addiction mechanisms and brain changes. More proof that food addiction can alter the brain in the same way that drugs can. Our question – if food can cause addiction, how can masturbating to porn not be potentially addictive? Especially considering the fact that porn use is far more stimulating and longer in duration than eating.
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Read More… from Overlapping Neuronal Circuits In Addiction And Obesity: Evidence Of Systems Pathology (2008) Nora Volkow
Pair bonding is a biological program not a cultural construct Despite a colorful array of cultural differences, humans everywhere fall in love, attach emotionally for long periods, and feel betrayed when mates are unfaithful. These behaviors are innate, not the products of random cultural influences. To make this point another way: Most mammals don’t tattoo […]
Read More… from Committed Relationship: You’re Wired For It (2011)
COMMENTS: Study shows neuroplastic and behavioral changes in reward circuit can arise from sexual activity. These include the growth of neurons branches and stronger reaction to drugs. As usual, natural reinforcers and drugs have similar effects on the brain. I don’t know what to make of the key observation that these changes only occurred after a period of abstinence.
Pitchers KK, Balfour ME, Lehman MN, Richtand NM, Yu L, Coolen LM.
Biol Psychiatry. 2010 May 1;67(9):872-9. Epub 2009 Dec 16.
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Read More… from Neuroplasticity in the Mesolimbic System Induced by Natural Reward and Subsequent Reward Abstinence. (2010)
COMMENTS: Basic premise is that addictions hijacks the pair bonding mechanisms shared by the reward circuitry. Porn addiction therefore likely affects the pair-bonding mechanisms in our brains.
Amphetamine Reward In The Monogamous Prairie Vole
Neurosci Lett. 2007 May 17; 418(2): 190–194.
Published online 2007 March 14. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2007.03.019.
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Read More… from Amphetamine Reward In The Monogamous Prairie Vole (2007)
Taken from blog post of Todd Becker: I find that cold showers are great for the mood. Not only are they physically invigorating, they make you feel alive, vital and ready to take on the day. They stimulate thinking early in the morning. … These effects are apparent with the first cold shower. If you […]
Read More… from Cold Showers
COMMENTS: This research shows that the reward circuitry and dopamine producing nerve cells respond to fear. The same circuit that drives us with dopamine to pursue our goals, such as orgasm, is also activated by fear. This is why we “like” scary things – roller coasters, bungy-jumping, horror movies, etc. We wonder if fear or […]
Read More… from Convergent Processing of Both Positive and Negative Motivational Signals by the VTA Dopamine Neuronal Populations (2011)
Fredrick and Antonio Jackson and Laura Rodriguez grinned after racing go-karts at Adventure Crossing. They admit they like a little excitement and danger — after all, they’re Marines. Antonio, 27, likes roller coasters.
“Sometimes you get a feeling like, ‘I can’t believe I just did that,’ ” he said. “Once you get off it, you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to get back on this. It was great.’ ”
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Read More… from Research finds source of thrill from fear
