'Thirst for knowledge' may be opium craving (U of Southern California)

Public release date: 20-Jun-2006
Contact: USC Media Relations
213-740-2215
University of Southern California


The brain's reward for getting a concept is a shot of natural opiates

Neuroscientists have proposed a simple explanation for the pleasure of grasping a new concept: The brain is getting its fix.
The "click" of comprehension triggers a biochemical cascade that rewards the brain with a shot of natural opium-like substances, said Irving Biederman of the University of Southern California. He presents his theory in an invited article in the latest issue of American Scientist.

"While you're trying to understand a difficult theorem, it's not fun," said Biederman, professor of neuroscience in the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. "But once you get it, you just feel fabulous."
The brain's craving for a fix motivates humans to maximize the rate at which they absorb knowledge, he said.
I think we're exquisitely tuned to this as if we're junkies, second by second."

Biederman hypothesized that knowledge addiction has strong evolutionary value because mate selection correlates closely with perceived intelligence.
Only more pressing material needs, such as hunger, can suspend the quest for knowledge, he added.

>>>>>http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-06/uosc-fk062006.php


I thought that when I smoked pot my quests for knowledge increased, although I know the study has nothing to do with pot
but I thought it could be added into the debate on opiates of the brain
and we know that knowledge is one thing the Bush Administration is trying to ban
.;-) ;) :rofl: :smoke:

:D

On edit: I mean those of us who are addicted to DU. :)

Sometimes, when I've found and fixed a pernicious bug in the software I'm writing, I've been known to literally let out a 'whoop!'. It's a rush.

To this day, I remember the moment when I found (and solved) the most confusing bug I'd ever seen. After almost four days of straight debugging, it hit me, "HA! IT'S LOWER CASE!" I felt like I was all coked up for the rest of the day...

That is what we used to say. Before up was down.

justice, truth and wisdom.

It also got a guy called Adam and his girlfriend called Eve into trouble somewhere
if I remember right.

:rofl: