The Neuropsychology of Pleasure and Addiction
The Game – S5E6
The Neuro Dance Trance Begins...
Now who doesn't want pleasure. It's one of the necessities of life. However, when it interferes with other parts, it's worth looking at more closely. The writers in this episode create a very clever approach at some of the consequences of a game brought on board by Riker from the planet, Risa. The game involves a headset that has an optical wand in front of each eye. A holographic image of discs and funnels is presented to the player and when the player gets a disc to go into the funnel, they are rewarded with a release of serotonin. It is so rewarding that everyone starts playing it and the whole ship goes into a kind of a trance.
Wesley, visiting the Enterprise while on vacation from Starfleet Academy, meets Robin in engineering, also around his own age, and together, they start looking into this phenomenon. They load the game into a sensor computer system that reports the process that occurs in the human brain. Here’s what they say: “I’ve loaded the neurological behavior program. It’s activating the reticular formation (a network of neurons in the brainstem). There’s heavy synaptic (electrochemical signals from one nerve cell or neuron to another) activity all over the place. I wonder what happens after prolonged exposure? The effects seem centered around the frontal lobe. It’s stimulating the septal area. That’s the pleasure centre of the brain. Whatever this thing does, it must feel pretty good. No wonder it’s so popular. Look at this. Serotonin (a neurotransmitter that contributes to feelings of well-being) levels are way off. Let’s run a neuro-chemical analysis. I’m seeing widespread bonding to neuro-receptors (a process that occurs in addiction). Correct me if I’m wrong, but this looks like a psychotropic reaction. Are you saying you think the game’s addictive? What’s going on in the prefrontal cortex? Doesn’t that area control higher reasoning? Yeah. It sure does. I better go talk to the Captain.”
So, aside from my explanations in brackets above, this dialogue gives us some 101 education in brain anatomy and function. It tells us that the septal area of the brain is involved in registering pleasure and the prefrontal cortex is responsible for higher reasoning. They leave it up to us to know some of the other terms like synaptic activity, serotonin and psychotropic. And they imply that higher reasoning is dampened with the addictive qualities of the game.
This account of the trance-like quality of the game, the excess of serotonin in the brain, the increased drive for pleasure and decreased functioning of high reasoning are all elements of addiction, whether its games, alcohol, drugs, relationships, sex, exercise, eating, not eating, or other forms of addiction. All of these things can be normal and required in our lives. It is when we can't stop doing them in an excess that interferes with other normal functioning that it becomes what is considered psychopathology. The brain functions of reasoning and feeling become at odds here.
One of my friends said to me that he had lost two years of his life to World of Warcraft. He referred to it as “Warcrack.” So, when we recognize that we are missing out on other parts of our lives due to an addiction, what can we do about it? How do we level up?
I believe that addiction just starts out as a way of obtaining pleasure and evading uncomfortable emotions. And we need both. But when something like gaming becomes an escape because we don't have the emotional resiliency to deal with the everyday challenges and adversities of life, we need a new approach.
So what is the key to moving to the next level. One of the keys to creating freedom of choice is to observe our emotions with an inquiring mind much like Data does, and to be able to sit with our uncomfortable emotions, building emotional muscle if you will. If we can build impulse control (and we can) by being the observer rather than the reactor, we can see what the impulse is asking for, we can interrupt the habitual pattern set up in our brain, and find other ways to get our very normal human needs met.
This account of the trance-like quality of the game, the excess of serotonin in the brain, the increased drive for pleasure and decreased functioning of high reasoning are all elements of addiction, whether its games, alcohol, drugs, relationships, sex, exercise, eating, not eating, or other forms of addiction. All of these things can be normal and required in our lives. It is when we can't stop doing them in an excess that interferes with other normal functioning that it becomes what is considered psychopathology. The brain functions of reasoning and feeling become at odds here.
Leveling Up
One of my friends said to me that he had lost two years of his life to World of Warcraft. He referred to it as “Warcrack.” So, when we recognize that we are missing out on other parts of our lives due to an addiction, what can we do about it? How do we level up?
I believe that addiction just starts out as a way of obtaining pleasure and evading uncomfortable emotions. And we need both. But when something like gaming becomes an escape because we don't have the emotional resiliency to deal with the everyday challenges and adversities of life, we need a new approach.
So what is the key to moving to the next level. One of the keys to creating freedom of choice is to observe our emotions with an inquiring mind much like Data does, and to be able to sit with our uncomfortable emotions, building emotional muscle if you will. If we can build impulse control (and we can) by being the observer rather than the reactor, we can see what the impulse is asking for, we can interrupt the habitual pattern set up in our brain, and find other ways to get our very normal human needs met.
Patternus Interruptus
Later in the episode, Data comes to the bridge and flashes an intermittent light with a palm beacon that seems to ‘break the spell’ of the game.
See? The writers have it right. Interruption is the trick. Neuroscience shows that when we interrupt the firing of the neurons of a particular pattern we weaken the wiring of that pattern. Freedom from addiction lies at the heart of this concept. It's the same concept as changing a habit. They are not that different. Maybe the intensity of addiction is stronger than habit but the strategy of changing it is the same.
This episode was an excellent portrayal of the concepts involved in pleasure tipping into addiction, the neuroscience behind it, and the interruption strategy necessary to change it.
Is there anything in this episode that is helpful to you for changing a habit, pattern, or addiction? Change the name, change the frame.
See? The writers have it right. Interruption is the trick. Neuroscience shows that when we interrupt the firing of the neurons of a particular pattern we weaken the wiring of that pattern. Freedom from addiction lies at the heart of this concept. It's the same concept as changing a habit. They are not that different. Maybe the intensity of addiction is stronger than habit but the strategy of changing it is the same.
This episode was an excellent portrayal of the concepts involved in pleasure tipping into addiction, the neuroscience behind it, and the interruption strategy necessary to change it.
Is there anything in this episode that is helpful to you for changing a habit, pattern, or addiction? Change the name, change the frame.
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