Begär är större än behag, leder till missbruk

Most mammals, including humans, experience moments of overwhelming desire — be it for food, sex or other things — that can be followed by seemingly magical feelings of satisfaction and bliss if the desire is met. But scientists have found that, thanks to brain circuitry, we're often likely to be left wanting rather than satisfied.

According to a study recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience, wanting and liking are separate urges in the brain that are controlled by different circuits. When these urges occur in sync, the impact on the brain is very powerful.

But there's a catch. Mammal brains appear to have fewer mechanisms for pleasure than they do for desire.

"Our results suggest we all are inherently susceptible to wanting more than we'll actually enjoy, at least in certain situations," co-author Kent Berridge told Discovery News.

Berridge, a University of Michigan psychology researcher, added, "If separable brain circuits exist for liking and wanting, then a person who had selective activation of the wanting circuit would want more without liking more."

Such want/like dissociations can lead to addictions with drugs, sex, food, gambling and more, the researchers believe. Some people also appear to be prone to experiencing the out-of-sync phases. ¹

Just därför är hedonism en återvändsgränd: vi tillfredsställs aldrig, utan ger upphov till en tom livsstil utan högre mening.