One of my favorite aspects of traveling so much is hearing people talk about their travels. Vegas is my next trip. People get excited when I say I am headed to Vegas. They all say they love Vegas, even though they are not gamblers. I understand this. I love being near other people gambling and not doing it myself. Although I am pretty lucky. But still, there is something about casinos that makes me want to go home. In Biloxi, at the riverboat casino, I saw a man gambling at the blackjack table who had half of his face eaten away by some cancer or something. And many elderly people were sitting solemnly at the slot machines hoping to get lucky. Glum expressions.
I read a book talking about addictions. One thing stood out. A study done on rats. The pleasure circuitry of the brain is all largely concentrated in one area of the brain. And in this study, the researchers gave a big hit of dopamine, a feel good drug, directly to that pleasure circuit. These rats were able to touch a button and get a big hit of dopamine right into the pleasure circuit. And just inches away, there was another button to press which gave food. But all the rats starved to death once they found out about this pleasures hit they could get unlimited doses of. They all died.
Now when I stand at a blackjack table, or at a slot machine, or if I sit around drinking with people, or go compulsively shopping, I always think about those rats. All they had to do was stop just a minute to go get something to eat.
It is a weird paradox that seeking after pleasure ultimately leads to so much suffering. So many glum expressions. So little balance and joy. Our pleasure circuits and our addictions leave us high and dry.
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