this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2023
333 points (96.4% liked)

Showerthoughts

29793 readers
430 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. Avoid politics
    • 3.1) NEW RULE as of 5 Nov 2024, trying it out
    • 3.2) Political posts often end up being circle jerks (not offering unique perspective) or enflaming (too much work for mods).
    • 3.3) Try c/politicaldiscussion, volunteer as a mod here, or start your own community.
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
quinten
vatlark
forkball
Thekingoflorda
333
All this excess of information, games, shows and everything else is ruining our boredom, which is usually what leads us to think more creatively (programming.dev)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/showerthoughts
46 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Title.

We're kinda spoiled with "all the X we could want, whenever we want".

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] fubo 27 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Please stop saying "dopamine" when you mean "reward".

Brains don't work like that. Nerves don't work like that.

Dopamine is indeed a chemical that brain nerves use for signaling. However, it is not used exclusively for pleasure signals. It is used for, among other things, reward-motivated behavior โ€” but that includes aversion, that is, avoiding things that you've learned to stay away from. That's literally the opposite of the pop-culture use of "dopamine".

The actual chemical dopamine is also used in basic motor functioning. Impairment of that dopamine pathway is involved in Parkinson's disease; and medications that increase dopamine, such as L-DOPA, are used to treat Parkinson's. These medications are not addictive drugs; thus further disproving the pop-culture impression of "dopamine = do it more!"