Osaka Wayne Studio/Getty Images
What does this have to do with sex, drugs and sausage rolls? All of them can be addictive and harmful, depending on who you ask. But while it’s undisputed that people can become addicted to heroin and cocaine, the science behind many other alleged addictions is less clear.
In the case of sausage rolls, the argument isn’t that pastries in particular are addictive, but rather that certain types of foods are high in fat, sugar, salt, and other nutrients that we crave. “Doctors say food ‘addiction’ should be treated like drug abuse” discusses this new case of food addiction and what it means for treating people with food addictions. Let’s consider whether it will bring about this.
New addictions seem to arise all the time. You might even say we are addicted. For example, some are calling for urgent action to tackle the epidemic of addiction among young people to gaming and social media use, while several celebrities accused of sexual misconduct have said they are sex addicts. Says.
Dopamine is central to many of these claims. This is a molecule that surges in your brain when you take addictive drugs. But while dopamine has become a buzzword associated with rewards for everything from sugar to social media likes, its role in addiction is not fully understood. While it was once thought that dopamine itself caused pleasure, it is now thought that it is actually a signal to the brain that it should pay more attention to unexpected events.
And, perhaps surprisingly, there is no universally agreed upon definition of addiction. Rather than focusing on the brain, various medical institutions are studying how proposed addictions affect behavior. For example, if a person wants to stop an activity but cannot, experiences cravings and tends to perform more and more of the activity, the person may be considered addicted. While people with gaming addictions may meet all of these criteria, people who compulsively binge eat seem less likely to meet the last requirement.
In fact, it is unclear whether these definitions are actually useful. Perhaps we should prioritize better understanding what addiction actually is before we start adding more mental illness diagnoses.
topic:
Source: www.newscientist.com
