According to recent research by Irving Biederman, a neuroscientist at the University of Southern Cali, our relationship to using the internet – and specific sites we like — can best be described as addiction.

Chemical addiction.

See, when we encounter new and “richly interpretable” information, our brain rewards us by stimulating pleasure-enhancing neurotransmitters, called opioids.  And yeah, “opioids” is meant to sound like “opiate” — they function on our brains in a way similar to drugs. That isn’t to say we get high on info, but the sensation is strong enough that the brain sends us looking for more immediately… we get hooked.  Our subconscious is an opioid junky. 

Apparently it all stems from the lack of available information in prehistoric times;  we needed incentive to go hunting out more.  Now that we can overdose on info, using the ‘net, our psychological response hasn’t caught up. 

So admit it — you’re a junky too.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 30th, 2008 at 12:24 pm and is filed under Uncategorized, Science, Drugs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.