ManTalks Podcast Dr. Anna Lembke - Dopamine Nation: Why We're Addicted
Sep 12, 2021
Dr. Anna Lembke, a Stanford psychiatry professor and addiction specialist, dives into the pervasive influence of dopamine in our lives. She discusses how modern temptations, from junk food to social media, can lead to addictions. The conversation touches on the paradox of pleasure and pain and how early exposure to pornography affects youth. Lembke offers insights on breaking free from compulsive behaviors, including strategies like dopamine fasting, while emphasizing the importance of resilience in the face of personal loss.
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Pleasure-Pain Balance
- Pleasure and pain are processed in the same brain areas, working like opposite sides of a balance.
- When we experience pleasure, the brain downregulates dopamine to restore balance, leading to a pain response.
Early Pornography Exposure
- Connor Beaton recounts an experience at an all-boys school where he asked students if they had watched pornography.
- 95% of the boys, aged from grade four to twelve, raised their hands, highlighting early exposure.
Neurochemistry of Addiction
- Addiction develops when the pleasure-pain balance shifts towards pain, creating a need to repeat the behavior to regain homeostasis.
- This dopamine deficit state drives the continued seeking of the addictive substance or behavior.
