Rather than giving us pleasure itself, as is commonly thought, dopamine motivates us to do things we think will bring pleasure. With cocaine you run out of money, but TikTok is indefatigable The chemical, sometimes referred to as the “feelgood” hormone, features in countless song lyrics and its molecular structure – resembling an insect with antennae and a long tail – has even become a popular tattoo (which proves people will get anything inked on their biceps). To understand addiction you must first understand dopamine, dubbed “the Kim Kardashian of molecules” owing to its mainstream prominence. It might seem a little less fun and it will involve tolerating discomfort rather than seeking refuge in shiny things, but this “new form of asceticism” is, she promises, the “path to the good life”. She wrote Dopamine Nation because she believes her recovering patients – whether 60-something Jacob who built a masturbation machine to satiate his sex habit teenaged Delilah, who couldn’t get out of bed unless she was high on cannabis or Chi, who bought thousands of cheap consumer goods online just to experience the thrill of opening the package – have “acquired a wisdom we all could benefit from”.Īpplying lessons learned from inside her Silicon Valley office, which is furnished with a painting of giant peaches and a colourful coffee-stained tapestry, she’s urging us to make space in our brains to let our thoughts wash over us rather than constantly seeking stimulation. “I do believe there is a cost – one that I don’t think we fully recognise because it’s hard to when you’re in it.” “It gets into philosophical questions: how is the time I’m spending on my phone in subtle ways affecting my ability to be a good parent, spouse or friend?” says Lembke. It’s deemed worthy of clinical care when it “significantly interferes” with someone’s life and ability to function, but when it comes to minor digital attachments, the effect is pernicious. For many, the pandemic has exacerbated dependence on social media and other digital vices, as well as alcohol and drugs.Īddiction is a spectrum disorder: it’s not as simple as being an addict or not being an addict. We’re forever “interrupting ourselves”, as Lembke puts it, for a quick digital hit, meaning we rarely concentrate on taxing tasks for long or get into a creative flow. We’ve forgotten how to be alone with our thoughts. Global depression rates have been climbing significantly in the past 30 years and, according to a World Happiness Report, people in high-income countries have become more unhappy over the past decade or so. Although we have endless founts of fun at our fingertips, “the data shows we’re less and less happy,” she says. View image in fullscreen ‘Life is a slog and I think if we could admit that and take comfort in knowing we’re not alone in the day-to-day struggle, paradoxically, we would be happier’: Dr Anna Lembke. She’s a whiz on why we get hooked on things – and how we can enjoy pleasurable things in healthier doses. The bespectacled 53-year-old psychiatrist has written an influential book about the prescription-drug epidemic, delivered Ted Talks on America’s opioid crisis and appeared as a talking head in the 2020 Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma to discuss the drug that is social media. As the chief of Stanford University’s dual diagnosis addiction clinic (which caters to people with more than one disorder), Lembke has spent the past 25-plus years treating patients addicted to everything from heroin, gambling and sex to video games, Botox and ice baths. The first 12 hours will be filled with anxiety and Fomo, but as time unfolds, I’ll experience a sense of “real freedom”, will gain insight into my relationship with my digital companion and will “resolve to get back to using it a little differently”, she says, speaking with a soothing yet firm tone. She wants me to abstain from using it for at least 24 hours by locking it in a drawer and going out. During our interview I confess, in passing, to having an unhealthy attachment to my iPhone, checking it every few minutes like a compulsive tic (sound familiar?) Lembke is having none of it. Dr Anna Lembke, a world-leading expert on addiction, is concerned about my “phone problem”.
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