Jason Silva on Addiction | Brain Games

the truth of the matter is that we are
all addicted you know why because
addiction actually piggy backs on your
brains natural reward system the
dopamine chemical that rewards us for
seeking out novelty for seeking out new
experiences so essentially anything that
you do every day that your brain rewards
you for with pleasure of chemicals you
know whether you drink coffee every day
whether you work out every day anything
that you do daily makes you an addict I
call myself an epiphany addict because I
love moments of transcendence I love to
be inspired
I love aesthetic arrests and I decided
as a lifestyle choice to seek out
experiences between you profound
emotional and intellectual pleasure I
love the theater
so I’m addicted to it I love poetry so
I’m addicted to it
I go to see films all the time and
whenever I don’t go to films I feel a
withdrawal I feel actually depressed so
you know I’m addicted to all kinds of
aesthetic experiences an esthetic
discourse I’m addicted to ideas these
are not problems for me these don’t make
me a dysfunctional individual so I guess
I think the interesting distinction to
make here is dysfunctional addictions or
healthy addictions not in all context is
addiction actually a bad thing addiction
is just kind of a universal thing for
human beings it’s only when it becomes
pathological that it’s a problem but if
it’s not a problem not a problem
you