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The 7 most addictive (and delicious) foods on the planet

Why we can't get enough What is it about the three Cs: Chocolate, cheese and chips? For some reason, we can never get enough of them. But wanting to chow on a particular food is one thing, being addicted to it is another. Fact is, you can become addicted to a certain food, and you can blame your brain’s response to it. That’s because certain foods elicit a release of dopamine in the brain, which can lead to more cravings for that particular treat, especially when it comes to foods that are high in sugar, salt and/or fat. Addictive foods are ones that hit your brain right in its pleasure centre, ostensibly telling you that you need more, more, more. “When this pleasure/reward centre is stimulated, the brain starts secreting dopamine and other chemicals that make us enjoy the experience even more,” says registered dietitian Ashvini Mashru. “Because your brain loves the sensation caused by that dopamine release, it seeks more of it by creating cravings, that if listened to can cause a vicious cycle of addiction.” Chocoholics take note That bowl of Smarties sitting on your colleague’s desk is a delicious temptation, a crunchy chocolatey treat that’s hard to resist. What we know is that chocolate is one of the most addictive foods around because it binds to the same pleasure centres in the brain as alcohol and certain drugs, according to a 2011 study conducted by Drexel University. It also boasts a nice ‘mouth feel’, which stimulates oxytocin production, another feel-good hormone, according to Dan DeFigio, author of Beating Sugar Addiction for Dummies. “Over time, our brains start looking for that dopamine hit, and every time we eat chocolate, it reinforces that ‘wiring,’” he says. More cheese please If you’ve hovered over a cheese platter and piled up the cubes, you’ll be relieved to know that it’s not just you. Cheese, which is generally high in fat and cholesterol, also contains a substance called casomorphin that binds to the opioid or feel-good receptors in the brain. “Casomorphins attach to neurotransmitters in our brains and release dopamine, feel-good chemicals, that often lead us to wanting more,” says Dr Neal Barnard, author of The Cheese Trap. “While cheese does have its health benefits, it also can be seriously addictive.” Carb fix Reach into that bowl of potato chips, tortilla chips or pretzels over and over again, and you’ll know something is happening on the addiction front. And, while there’s no particular compound in these foods that bind to specific brain receptors to cause a euphoric, stimulating, or addictive behaviour, there’s something else at play. “Simple carbohydrates are seen as ‘addictive’ because they cause a quick glucose release, and this quickly increases a person’s energy, says nutritionist Celina Jean. “This energy will quickly be used up, and then you’ll be forced to eat more simple carbohydrates to keep your blood sugar raised.” Oh, sweet sips Not only do sugary soft drinks (including sweet tea) provide us with very little nutrients, but one 375mL can contain a staggering 43 grams of sugar. Like sugary treats, fizzy drinks can stimulate the release of dopamine. Add caffeine and you’re getting a double-energy hit. “Once you’re hooked on caffeine, you can suffer symptoms of withdrawal if you try to stop, including sluggishness, headaches and emotional distress,” says Mashru. Pass the fries Hot chips or French fries are typically crisp, hot and salty. This is a triple-threat that signals the tongue and the brain to eat more, Mashru says. The fat content in fries triggers receptors in our mouths that send a signal to our brain and gut reinforcing the desire to eat more. “These little potato sticks are also a comfort food,” Mashru says. “Therefore, every time you go through the line in a restaurant and see them on the menu, you may find the urge to order them as a side to your entrée irresistible.” Ice cream, you scream Cravings for ice cream can be insatiable – it’s all about the sugar content and creamy texture, and researchers agree that foods like ice cream, which is basically cream and milk, stimulate the brain in the same way drugs do, inducing behaviours that resemble addiction, says dietitian Keri Glassman. “The sugar ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ you experience are consistent with sugar ‘dependency’,” she says. “When your body gets used to sugar, you feel out of sorts when you consume less, which causes you to eat more.” Pizza Whether it’s the stringy salty mozzarella cheese, the fluffy dough or the sugar in the tomato sauce, pizza ranks first in food addiction, according to a recent University of Michigan study. That’s because when you eat it, your blood sugar zips up quickly and then when it drops, you feel hungry again and want more. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/the-most-addicting-foods-on-the-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Food & Wine

Doctors say cheese could be as addictive as drugs

Look, we’ve all be there: you’re enjoying a tasty cheese platter, perhaps with a glass of red, and before you know it, you’ve devoured the entire wheel of camembert. You’re not even sure how it happened; all you know is the cheese was too delicious to stop. But before you berate yourself for your lack of willpower, stop – because it may not be your willpower but that the cheese is simply too addictive. According to Thrillist, Dr Neal Barnard, founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, has called cheese “dairy crack” because your brain reacts to a particular protein in it the way it would any other addictive substance. “These protein fragments can attach to the opiate receptors in your brain,” Dr Barnard says. “As the name implies, casomorphins are casein-derived morphine-like compounds.” Cheese also has high fat and salt content – two other things that our brains enjoy. However, lucky for all the cheese lovers out there, even though our brains may react to cheese similarly to morphine, it doesn’t have any brain-destroying compounds as the drug. Image: Getty

Body

10 signs you’re addicted to gardening

To say you have a green thumb is an understatement, your whole being is green. Here are just 10 signs you’re a gardening addict. 1. Your family and friends know all you want for your birthday is the delivery of the highest-quality mulch or maybe that fancy compost bin. Anything garden-related basically. 2. Your idea of fun is going to the local nursery to see what new plants are in stock or visiting beautiful gardens to get some inspiration for your own garden. 3. When you go on walks you admire your neighbour’s gardens and will stop to strike up a conversation about a well grown flower or vegetable. 4. You love checking the weather. It’s important to the prosperity of your garden. 5. You don’t count down the days to Christmas, you can’t wait for spring! 6. Your friends talk about going organic but you’ve been eating veggies and fruit from your garden for years. 7. You know all the Latin names for flowers. 8. When you’re not gardening you are reading gardening magazines and looking online for tips. 9. You have more photos of your garden than your grandkids! 10. Your neighbours always catch you speaking to your plant: either praising them for growing so well or desperately begging them why they just won’t grow!

Home & Garden

10 signs you’re addicted to gardening

To say you have a green fingers is an understatement, your whole being is green. Here are just 10 signs you’re a gardening addict. 1. Your family and friends know all you want for your birthday is the delivery of the highest-quality mulch or maybe that fancy compost bin. Anything garden-related basically. 2. Your idea of fun is going to the local nursery to see what new plants are in stock or visiting beautiful gardens to get some inspiration for your own garden. 3. When you go on walks you admire your neighbour’s gardens and will stop to strike up a conversation about a well grown flower or vegetable. 4. You love checking the weather. It’s important to the prosperity of your garden. 5. You don’t count down the days to Christmas, you can’t wait for spring! 6. Your friends talk about going organic but you’ve been eating veggies and fruit from your garden for years. 7. You know all the Latin names for flowers. 8. When you’re not gardening you are reading gardening magazines and looking online for tips. 9. You have more photos of your garden than your grandkids! 10. Your neighbours always catch you speaking to your plant: either praising them for growing so well or desperately begging them why they just won’t grow! Image credits: Getty Images

Home & Garden

News addiction, particularly on social media, can affect our mental health – but you knew that anyway, right?

Researchers suggest we question how much commercial media contributes to social media problems. Put it down. Don’t open it. Leave it alone. Walk away and no-one will get hurt. These are the likely thoughts of increasing numbers of social media users involved in the almost obsessive behaviour referred to colloquially as “Doomscrolling”. In an era of pandemic, climate crisis, failure of democracy, school shootings, war and family violence it seems our social media habits can lead some people to mental and physical health issues. A <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10410236.2022.2106086" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new paper in Health Communication </a> looked at what the researchers termed “problematic news consumption”. The researchers surveyed 1,100 adults about their connection to the 24-hour news world and followed up with questions about their mental and physical health. They found that 16.5% of respondents showed signs of “severely problematic” news consumption, where news stories dominate their waking thoughts, disrupt family time, distract them from work or school, and add to restlessness or an inability to sleep. “Witnessing these events unfold in the news can bring about a constant state of high alert in some people, kicking their surveillance motives into overdrive and making the world seem like a dark and dangerous place,” says Bryan McLaughlin, Associate Professor of Advertising at the College of Media and Communication at Texas Tech University in the US. <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p203687-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.62 spai-bg-prepared init" action="/health/news-on-social-media-affects-health/#wpcf7-f6-p203687-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="init"> <input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/" aria-invalid="false" /> </form> </div> </div> “For these individuals a vicious cycle can develop in which – rather than tuning out – they become drawn further in, obsessing over the news and checking for updates around the clock to alleviate their emotional distress. But it doesn’t help, and the more they check the news, the more it begins to interfere with other aspects of their lives.” McLaughlin and his colleagues, Dr Melissa Gotlieb and Dr Devin Mills, analysed data from an online survey of 1,100 US adults. People were asked about the extent to which they agreed with statements like: “I become so absorbed in the news that I forget the world around me”, “…my mind is frequently occupied with thoughts about the news”, “I find it difficult to stop reading or watching the news,” and “I often do not pay attention at school or work because I am reading or watching the news.” According to McLaughlin, the findings show a need for focused media literacy campaigns to help people develop a “healthier relationship” with the news. “We want people to remain engaged in the news,” he says. “Tuning out comes at the expense of an individual’s access to important information for their health and safety, and undermines the existence of an informed citizenry, which has implications for maintaining a healthy democracy.” In addition, the study also questions whether the news industry may be fuelling the problem. “The economic pressures facing outlets, coupled with technological advances and the 24- hour news cycle have encouraged journalists to focus on selecting ‘newsworthy’ stories that will grab news consumers’ attention,” says McLaughlin. “The results of our study emphasise that commercial pressures news media face are not just harmful to the goal of maintaining a healthy democracy, they also may be harmful to individuals’ health.” Limitations of this study include reliance on a data collected at one point in time, where the authors could not establish the exact relationship between problematic news consumption and mental and physical ill-being.  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=203687&title=News+addiction%2C+particularly+on+social+media%2C+can+affect+our+mental+health+%E2%80%93+but+you+knew+that+anyway%2C+right%3F" width="1" height="1" />  <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/news-on-social-media-affects-health/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/ian-mannix" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ian Mannix</a>. Ian Mannix is the assistant news editor at Cosmos. Image: Getty Images </div>

Technology

7 signs you’re a shopping addict

Online shopping is a huge help for many people, especially in lockdown. But, with online shopping rates sky rocketing, here are some tips on how to identify a shopping addiction. 1. Spending hours a day scrolling through online shops/apps Apps have made it easier than ever to access a worldwide wardrobe at the click of a button. As great as this can be for retailers and those always on the go, for those struggling with shopping addiction, this can be extremely detrimental as it has never been easier to instantly feed your shopping habit. 2. Spending more than you can afford This is a common issue for those suffering from an addiction. An addiction can lead to a feeling of lack of control, and this can include the amount we spend. Much like gambling addiction, shopping addiction can have a hugely negative impact on our finances. If you find that you can relate to this and feel overwhelmed about what to do next, please do reach out for professional help and do not feel afraid of being judged. You can quickly find yourself dipping into savings, remortgaging your home and even in some cases borrowing or stealing from partners/family or friends to fund the addiction. 3. Feeling a loss of control For those with an addiction, repeating the unhealthy action can sometimes feel like the only way they can regain control of their lives. As we know, it is hard to step out of this unhealthy cycle. With shopping addiction, placing an order is the only way some people may feel like they can feel in control for a brief period of time. It is important to try to remember that this feeling of control will fade again and breaking a cycle like this is important for our mental health. 4. The urge to shop when you feel upset or angry If you find you have the urge to shop more when you are going through periods of feeling upset or angry, this may be a sign of a shopping addiction. Again, this is a form of trying to gain back control or take your mind off the topic that has upset or angered you. For any ongoing depressive moods or mood swings, we would always recommend seeking advice from your healthcare provider – or alternatively from mental health services who will be able to give you advice on how best to tackle these feelings in a healthier way. 5. Euphoric type rushes Do you ever get a feeling of exhilaration and/or anxiety whenever you place an order? We have all got excited now and again about an order—but if shopping gives you an intense rush (as if you have just been on a rollercoaster) every time, then this may be a sign of addiction. Euphoric rushes are caused by surges of the brain chemical dopamine. Much like a drug addiction, the brain will produce less dopamine each time as it gets used to the activity. However, the body then craves the exhilarating feeling and therefore people can feel like they need to increase the amount they spend, or number of orders they place, in order to get the highs they are craving. 6. Buying so much that you own many items never worn or used If you find many items you have bought still have their labels on them, it may be time to think about how much you are shopping. We are all guilty of having items in our wardrobe we swore we were going to wear on the right occasion. However, if there are more than a few items in your wardrobe or in storage that you have not seen or touched since buying them then consider this before buying anything else. 7. Shopping in bed when you should be asleep Many people with addiction struggle to switch off. At night, those with an online shopping addiction can find themselves unable to sleep and reaching for their phones, and specifically their shopping apps, for comfort. Those with an online shopping addiction may find themselves more prone to shop on an evening or when they’re in bed with nothing else to do or concentrate on. If you do relate to this then many can find that doing calm exercises such as yoga before bed can help relax the body. We would also recommend turning off your phone or leaving it in another room for the night so you are less tempted to reach for it. Further tips from the experts to curb the urge <ul> <li>Take your shopping apps off of your phones main home screen, or remove them from your phone completely</li> <li>Monitor the amount of time you spend scrolling for clothes and other items</li> <li>Understand it is not the norm to have the same amount of clothes as influencers – most of these clothes/items get sent back to the brands</li> <li>If you need some motivation to shop less, remember the less items we buy, the better for the environment. Consider donating items you haven’t used or worn to charity, or donating the money you would otherwise spend towards a charity to offset your carbon footprint.</li> </ul> Most importantly, if you feel you are struggling with a shopping addiction, do not play this down. Do reach out to friends and loved ones who may be able to help and make sure to reach out to mental health professionals. Shopping addiction generally masks underlying issues of stress that may manifest into another addiction if you do not shop. Image credit: Shutterstock This article was first published for <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/money/7-signs-youre-a-shopping-addict" target="_blank">Reader's Digest</a>.

Money & Banking

Why exercise addiction is a real mental health condition

We might assume a person that goes to the gym every day is “addicted” to exercise. But in reality, exercise addiction is a complicated condition that researchers still don’t fully understand. Exercise addiction is different from going to the gym or for a run everyday. Rather, the <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j1745">condition</a> is characterised by an obsessive or compulsive need to exercise, to the detriment of quality of life. For example, a person with the condition might skip a friend’s wedding because they “need” to train. Exercise addicts also experience strong withdrawal symptoms and train through injury, rather than following medical advice. One example of this is the case of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51294715?fbclid=IwAR0p0i8l0u18IUFlHndTIRqtoXY5Y-BPIdpmfsFu6kNfDlN54C8ij73X0ZI">Hope Virgo</a>, who exercised so much and ate so little that she had a calcium deficiency, causing her to break bones while exercising. Key symptoms of exercise addiction generally include: <ul> <li>Feeling a compulsion to do more and more exercise, or feeling that you’re not doing enough</li> <li>Training through injury</li> <li>Feeling strong withdrawal symptoms if exercise is stopped</li> <li>Missing important social events because you “have to” exercise.</li> </ul> Exercise addiction is not currently recognised by either the World Health Organization or the American Psychiatric Association due to a lack of research on the condition. However there’s a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460318308633">growing body of research</a> exploring exercise addiction. How common the issue is seems to vary significantly between different types of exercise. It’s estimated that between <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029212000829">0.3-0.5%</a> of the total population (including people who don’t exercise) are at risk of exercise addiction. In people who exercise regularly, between <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-018-1011-4">3-7% of people</a> are at risk of developing exercise addiction. However, we can’t be sure how accurate these numbers are as there’s currently no universally accepted diagnostic criteria for exercise addiction. Complicated diagnosis As such, current tools to diagnose exercise addiction assess a person’s risk by using an educated guess of what to measure. Some tools are based on medical <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3767415/">diagnostic criteria for substance</a> abuse, while others compare symptoms against the experiences of self-defined “exercise addicts”. This means that different methods of measuring exercise addiction are reporting on different things, which makes it pretty hard to say how common it really is. Complicating matters further is the athlete paradox. Professional athletes train a lot – typically more than the average gym enthusiast. They definitely have to make sacrifices, often impacting their quality of life because of it – for example, they probably miss social events for training at times. But if you ask them to analyse their own behaviour, they will often tell you they are just following their training schedule, that they have no choice. Athletes would therefore score highly on standard exercise addiction questionnaires. Exercise addiction has also been shown to be linked to eating disorders, with a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40519-019-00842-1">recent study</a> showing that people with eating disorders are 3.7 times more likely to have exercise addiction. In fact, “excessive exercise” is part of the diagnostic criteria for both <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3221424/pdf/Dtsch_Arztebl_Int-108-0678.pdf">bulimia and anorexia</a>. This is because people with eating disorders look to find ways to lose weight, and exercise is one way to burn calories. Links have also been found between body <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/body-dysmorphia/">dysmorphic disorder</a> (also known as body dysmorphia) and exercise addiction. Body dysmorphic disorder is an anxiety disorder in which a person might obsess over one or more perceived flaws in their appearance. This link suggests that negative body image might be intrinsically linked to exercise addiction. There are also links between exercise addiction, eating disorders and <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/">obsessive-compulsive disorder</a> (OCD). People with OCD demonstrate many of the same traits that are present in both exercise addiction and eating disorders such as a lack of control over a compulsion, such as exercise. This shows that exercise addiction could simply be another form of OCD. Some researchers have argued that exercise addiction does not exist if <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/34/6/423.full.pdf">another disorder</a> isn’t present. Yet the <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4311538">majority of research</a> on exercise addiction doesn’t screen for primary conditions like eating disorders or body dysmorphic disorder – instead they only looks for signs of exercise addiction. This means that we just don’t know whether or not exercise addiction is an independent condition or simply a symptom of something else. Future research should try focusing on screening for other disorders when looking at exercise addiction to see whether or not this condition exists if other conditions – like eating disorders – aren’t present. Current treatments for potential exercise addiction can include <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/">cognitive behavioural therapy</a>, although its <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1606635021000032366">efficacy is questionable</a> as limited studies have been conducted. When it comes to treatment, it’s important to determine if exercise addiction is the primary condition, or whether it is a symptom of something else. If it’s a symptom of another condition, treating the primary condition should be the priority.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133577/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mike-trott-534834">Mike Trott</a>, PhD candidate, Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/anglia-ruskin-university-1887">Anglia Ruskin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lee-smith-509285">Lee Smith</a>, Reader in Physical Activity and Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/anglia-ruskin-university-1887">Anglia Ruskin University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/exercise-addiction-is-a-real-mental-health-condition-yet-still-poorly-understood-133577">original article</a>.

Body

Is there such thing as an addictive personality?

Most of us know somebody who tends to get over involved in certain behaviours, and the saying often goes that they must have an “addictive personality”. But is there such a thing? The idea of an addictive personality is more pop-psychology than scientific. What is personality? To understand why the idea of an addictive personality is flawed, it’s important to first understand what psychologists mean when referring to personality. Personality is comprised of broad, measurable, stable, individual traits <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the-ooze/201810/when-do-personality-traits-predict-behavior">that predict behaviour</a>. So by definition, engaging in excessive behaviours cannot be considered a personality trait. Though, there are personality traits that are associated with addiction. Neuroticism is one of the “<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/big-5-personality-traits">big five</a>” personality dimensions. These are the five core traits that drive behaviour. They include openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion/introversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. People who score high in neuroticism tend to be <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4382368/">easily emotionally aroused</a>. They are also more likely to engage in a number of excessive behaviours, including: <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886915300088">over-eating</a>, excessive <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/cde8/a563a7ccc2f59903cf2d2b27d5a73b8e9318.pdf?_ga=2.23848760.322700603.1564100387-1584552963.1564100387">online gaming</a>, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-018-9959-8">social media</a> over-use and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2373294/">substance dependence</a>. People who are highly neurotic might engage in excessive behaviours to help manage their emotions. Neuroticism has also been <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-004-0873-y">associated with a range of mental health conditions</a>, which could lead one to wonder whether addiction is caused by mental illness. There is evidence of this for some people. In these cases people’s addictive behaviour <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1820867">reduces negative emotions</a> caused by the mental illness. Though it could also be that certain personality factors such as neuroticism predispose a person to both mental illness and addiction separately. Nature versus nurture There is some evidence that both personality and addictive behaviours have a genetic component. Five key genes have been found to appear to predispose people to experience <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4549168/">substance dependence</a> and other <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5745142/">addictive behaviours</a>. One of these genes has also been <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304394009014554">associated with extroversion</a>, another of the big five personality dimensions. <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/extroversion">Extroversion refers to</a> the degree to which people “search for novel experiences and social connections that allow them to interact with other humans as much as possible”. These five genes reduce the functioning of the dopamine, or reward, system of the brain. The brains of people with variants of the genes associated with extroversion and addictive behaviours use dopamine less efficiently. It has been <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02791072.2012.685407">proposed</a> that this leads them to seek out pleasure. Dopamine is often <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/27/17169446/dopamine-pleasure-chemical-neuroscience-reward-motivation">misrepresented as the pleasure neurotransmitter</a>. A more accurate description of dopamine is that it is the motivation neurotransmitter. It motivates people to engage in certain behaviours - particularly those behaviours needed for survival such as eating and sex. It makes sense then that variants of these genes have been found to be associated with “<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11481-015-9636-7">sensation seeking</a>”, another dimension of personality. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11481-015-9636-7">Sensation seeking is</a> a “trait defined by the seeking of novel sensations, and the willingness to take physical, social, legal and financial risks for the sake of such experiences”. People with addictive behaviours also score high on this personality dimension. Though to say these are genes for an addictive personality is a bit like saying the genes for height are the basketball genes. While some people who are tall are good at basketball, not all tall people have the opportunity or desire to learn the game. Similarly, not everybody with variants of the dopamine genes associated with excessive behaviours develops problems with substance dependence or other addictive behaviours. Environment is also important. It’s likely that some people whose dopamine system is less efficient due to genetic variations get their dopamine fix through other activities such as car racing, snowboarding, surfing, sky diving and so on. And some people who develop a dependence on alcohol and other drugs do not have this genetic predisposition. They might develop problems due to a range of environmental influences such as <a href="https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/ajp.2006.163.4.652">trauma</a> or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1446176/pdf/10705852.pdf">social modelling of drug use</a>. So while there are common factors associated with personality that predict addiction, there is no personality type that will cause someone to partake in excessive behaviours. Addiction has multiple causes and just chalking it up to someone’s personality probably isn’t very helpful in dealing with it.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120988/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Stephen Bright, Senior Lecturer of Addiction, Edith Cowan University. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/is-there-such-thing-as-an-addictive-personality-120988" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Mind

Why shopping addiction is a real disorder

UK-based healthcare group the Priory is well-known for treating gambling, sex, drug, alcohol and computing addictions – especially of the <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/7327125/the-priory-celebrity-guests-katie-price-rehab-centre-cost/">rich and famous</a>. Now it has added a new condition to its list: shopping addiction. Research suggests that as many as <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/add.13223">one in 20 people</a> in developed countries may suffer from shopping addiction (or compulsive buying disorder, as it’s more formally known), yet it is often not taken seriously. People don’t see the harm in indulging in a bit of “retail therapy” to cheer themselves up when they have had a bad day. Indulging in the occasional bit of frivolous spending is not a bad thing, if it is done in moderation and the person can afford it. But for some people compulsive shopping is a real problem. It takes over their lives and leads to genuine misery. Their urges to shop become uncontrollable and are often impulsive. They end up spending money they don’t have on things they don’t need. The worst part is that compulsive buyers continue to shop regardless of the negative impact it has on them. Their <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMc1805733/">mental health gets worse</a>, they get into serious debt, their social network shrinks, and they may even contemplate suicide – but shopping still provides the brief dopamine rush they crave. There is no doubt that people who engage in this behaviour suffer, and often badly. But it is debatable whether compulsive buying disorder is a condition in its own right or a symptom of another condition. Often it is difficult to diagnose because people with compulsive buying disorder have symptoms of other disorders, such as <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1994-29953-001">eating disorders and substance abuse</a>. Formal criteria needed The most commonly used manuals for diagnosing mental disorders are the <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm">DSM</a> and <a href="https://icd.who.int/en">ICD</a>, and neither include diagnostic criteria for compulsive buying disorder. One reason may be that there are many theories about what kind of illness the disorder is. It has been likened to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1995-01870-001">impulse control disorder</a>, mood disorders, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1987.tb00424.x">addiction</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005789402800259">obsessive-compulsive disorder</a>. How the disorder ought to be classified is an ongoing debate. What is also an <a href="https://www.macmillanihe.com/page/detail/Consumption-Matters/?K=9780230201170">ongoing debate</a> is what the disorder should be called. To the general public, it’s known as “shopping addiction”, but experts variously call it compulsive buying disorder, oniomania, acquisitive desire and impulse buying. Researchers also struggle to agree on a definition. Perhaps the lack of a clear definition stems from the fact that research shows that no single factor is sufficiently powerful to explain the causes of this compulsive behaviour. What most experts seem to agree on is that people with this condition find it difficult to stop and that it results in harm, showing that it is an involuntary and destructive kind of behaviour. People with the condition often try to hide it from friends and partners as they feel shame, thereby alienating themselves from the people who are best placed to support them. Although the disorder has not yet been clearly defined by name, symptoms or even category of mental health problem, most researchers agree on one thing: it is a real condition that people truly suffer from. The fact that the Priory, a well-established healthcare group, is treating people with compulsive buying disorder, may help to raise awareness of the condition. Hopefully, this will result in more research being conducted to help define diagnostic criteria. Without the criteria, it will be difficult for healthcare professionals to diagnose the illness and treat it. This is a condition that is crying out to be properly recognised and should not be trivialised.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123813/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, Reader in Consumer Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/shopping-addiction-is-a-real-disorder-123813" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Retirement Income

Can you be addicted to food?

Are you a “carb craver” or “chocaholic”? We often use language associated with addiction to describe our relationships with food. But is it really possible to be addicted to certain types of food? The idea of “food addiction” <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23057499">remains controversial</a> and is not yet recognised as a disorder that can be diagnosed in clinical settings. But a growing body of scientific research suggests food addiction may exist. We recently <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853215000243">surveyed young Australian adults</a> and found that approximately 15 per cent displayed addictive-like eating tendencies. Certain foods and eating patterns can prompt <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666308006223">behaviours</a> and <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25263466">brain responses</a> similar to those seen in more traditional forms of addiction such as drugs and alcohol. These addictive-like eating behaviours could be contributing to <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25338274">overeating and subsequent obesity</a> in vulnerable individuals. So it could be an important piece of the obesity puzzle. Food addiction or overeating? Food addiction is commonly characterised using the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666308006223">2009 Yale Food Addiction Scale</a>. This applies the criteria for substance addiction, such as tolerance and withdrawal, to eating behaviours. This interpretation of food addiction shares many similarities with the criteria we use to diagnose binge eating disorder such as loss of control and intense craving for specific foods. So how can food addiction be set apart from other types of overeating? Studies <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22684991">have shown</a> that while there is some overlap (around 50 per cent) between individuals who display addictive-like eating behaviours and those who meet the diagnostic criteria for binge eating disorder, these can also occur independently. A <a href="http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2013/435027/">more recent suggestion</a> is that overeating should be viewed across a continuum ranging from non-problematic occasional overeating to the most severe and compulsive forms, which can be harmful to the person’s health and social life. Much like drinking alcohol can be viewed along a spectrum, with the most severe drinkers labelled as alcoholics, food addiction may be better understood in the same way, representing these <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13679-013-0049-8">more severe subtypes</a> of overeating. Salt, fat and sugar Human studies aimed at identifying foods associated with addictive-like eating are rapidly emerging. The types of foods we typically <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24365525">self-identify</a> as potentially addictive are processed “junk” foods high in fat, sugar and salt. In <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17617461">animal studies</a>, rats that are fed a healthy diet do not show the same addictive-like changes in the brain as rats fed highly palatable foods. This suggests that certain properties or ingredients may make specific foods more capable of triggering an addictive-like response. The <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25644095">ingredients added</a> to palatable foods may have properties that <a href="http://www.nature.com/nrendo/journal/v10/n9/full/nrendo.2014.91.html">can change</a> a number of physiological factors such as hormones that regulate our appetite and neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly the “feel-good” chemical dopamine. The effects of highly processed foods mirror those of other addictive substances. More refined and rapidly absorbed substances increase the rewarding and addictive potential of the substance. This is also not surprising from an <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25540603">evolutionary</a> point of view, as the potency of these rewarding ingredients is far greater in processed foods than in naturally occurring foods. A <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853215000243">recent Australian survey</a> found that people displaying addictive-like eating tendencies had significantly higher intakes of high-kilojoule, packaged foods. A <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0117959">study from the United States</a> also demonstrated that the addition of rewarding ingredients such as fats and sugar, as well as the level of processing, increases the addictive properties of a food. However, when we try to think about what actually triggers an addictive eating episode, it is difficult to separate food from the actual act of eating. It is therefore likely that both the specific rewarding characteristics of the food as well as problematic <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25205078">eating behaviours</a> play a role in addictive-like eating episodes. Unfortunately, with the increasing abundance of convenience foods in today’s food environment, heavily manufactured foods are easily accessible and heavily marketed. This could be especially problematic for those vulnerable to addictive-like eating, such as <a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/270106741_'Food_addiction'_What_happens_in_childhood">children</a>. Treating and targeting food addiction In coming years, rigorous research is needed to better understand what food addiction means, and how it can be identified and potentially treated. Such a strategy could inform the development of better weight-loss treatments that target addictive-like foods or behaviours in certain individuals. In addition, understanding the underlying mechanisms for these addictive-like behaviours could identify <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3793279/">new drug targets</a> to treat obesity in some individuals. This type of research may also inform <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3171738/">better public health policy</a> and environmental changes to help people make more informed decisions about their food and reduce triggers of addictive-like eating in vulnerable individuals. If you relate to these types of behaviours or have any concerns about your eating habits, talk to your local GP or an <a href="http://daa.asn.au/">accredited practising dietitian</a>. Written by Tracy Burrows, Senior Lecturer Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle and Kirrilly Pursey, PhD Candidate Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-can-you-be-addicted-to-food-43067">The Conversation</a>.

Food & Wine

How addiction to money is destroying the world

In a widely cited confessional in the New York Times in 2014, former Wall Street trader <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/opinion/sunday/for-the-love-of-money.html">Sam Polk outed himself as a recovering wealth addict.</a> He intimated a toxic childhood and an abusive parent (<a href="https://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/addiction/child-abuse-alcoholism-drug-addiction/">a common theme in the biographies of addicts</a>). He revealed the exhilaration (a well-known <a href="https://www.ama.org/publications/MarketingNews/Pages/feeding-the-addiction.aspx">symptom of dopamine release</a>) at the power that money provided him. He admitted that he abused money like he abused alcohol and cocaine — to feel better about himself. In the powerful throes of his deep addiction, his “fixes,” including cash bonuses, were never big enough. Like the “users” on Wall Street who <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/opinion/sunday/for-the-love-of-money.html">fly into addiction-fueled rages</a>, he would do anything, including bringing harm to others, to amass more cash. A typical addict, he didn’t care as long as he could have more. <a href="https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2012/05/01/dopamine-impacts-your-willingness-to-work/">Scientists are beginning to see the addictive link between dopamine and money</a>, but we don’t have to wait for them to catch up. We know this is a problem. As I argue in this video, money is the most highly addictive substance on the planet: <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ir0R7yAFiO8"></iframe></div> It is a powerful addiction, unrivalled in its ability to trigger good feelings, and what’s most frightening about it is that you can’t ever physically overdose. Cocaine, heroin and crack will kill you if you do too much, but not money. Money won’t harm you, physically anyway. The cash addict can madly mainline moolah from the trading floor, the Senate floor or, with smart phone in hand, the bathroom floor without ever risking a deadly OD. It would be comical if it wasn’t so tragic, yet it is very tragic indeed, for the addict, their families and society at large. Money addiction as tragic as any other Make no mistake about this. Like all addiction stories, wealth addiction is tragic. Like all junkies, cash junkies will do anything to service their need. They will <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/child-neglect">certainly neglect</a> their own families while they work long hours to make more. To the outside world, everything will seem fine. They will “keep it in the family” as they dissemble, distract and confuse. They will buy nannies and ponies and cars. They will snort cocaine and go shopping and jet off to exclusive resorts to hobnob with other wealthy people. They will present their wealth fashionably, but as Sam Polk one day realized, the pain and anguish are real. And it’s not just the neglected family that suffers. There are no boundaries. Like a fentanyl addiction, it takes over and distorts everything. Cash addicts in the U.S. government (<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2015/05/19/clintons-blizzard-of-malfeasance/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.bc12c8b61878">in any government, really</a>), their campaigns funded by the wealthy, will <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/11/26/senate-gop-tax-bill-hurts-the-poor-more-than-originally-thought-cbo-finds/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.21b5e131da3b">steal from the poor</a>, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/15000-scientists-warning-to-humanity-1.4395767">destroy the environment</a>, <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/05/trump-childrens-health-insurance-program-chip-cuts-2018.html">rip off sick children</a>, engage in <a href="http://www.afroworldview.com/colonialism-was-driven-by-greed/">colonial exploitation</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/what-trumps-decision-on-iran-nuclear-deal-means-for-oil-prices/2018/05/07/c202d2be-4fcf-11e8-b725-92c89fe3ca4c_story.html?utm_term=.d4163ca8fbad">start wars</a> and even sacrifice kids in yet <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/18/us/texas-school-shooting/index.html?utm_source=CNN-News-Alerts&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Texas+high+school+shooting962ef9ef-8590-4f44-a345-2f4d74f31d97&utm_term=ff070d394080a1d443546fee6b64f212">another school shooting</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/04/opinion/thoughts-prayers-nra-funding-senators.html">if it means they can make some more bucks</a>. And that’s not even the worst of it. The addicts will <a href="https://theconversation.com/star-wars-is-a-religion-that-primes-us-for-war-and-violence-89443">hijack human spirituality</a>, <a href="http://time.com/4577724/donald-trump-deplorable-administration/">exploit hatred</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-we-should-all-cut-the-facebook-cord-or-should-we-93929">brainwash the masses</a>, derail <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/16/politics/cambridge-analytica-congress-wylie/index.html">democratic politics</a> and <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/madeleine-albright-fascism-a-warning-trump-north-korea/">tinker with fascism</a> in their desire to have more. So what to do? Possible cures Well, as strange as this is going to sound, <a href="https://www.futurity.org/dopamine-inequality-money-882572/">there might be a pill for all this</a>. In a remarkable experiment in the journal Current Biology, tolcapone, a drug that prolongs dopamine feelings, made participants who took it rather than a placebo become more egalitarian about money. A magical cure seems all right to me. But even if you can’t get access to tolcapone, there are immediate things you can do. <ol> <li> Stop neglecting and abusing children. <a href="https://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/addiction/child-abuse-alcoholism-drug-addiction/">The research is coming in on this one</a>: Abuse and neglect in childhood cause copious mental and emotional problems, and lead, via damage to neurochemical systems, to addictions in adult life. If we don’t want to raise another generation of addicts, speak up when you see children being mistreated by their parents, <a href="https://www.academia.edu/33737469/The_emotional_abuse_of_our_children_Teachers_schools_and_the_sanctioned_violence_of_our_modern_institutions">teachers</a>, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/topic/catholic-church">priests</a> or anyone else given access. </li> <li> As cliched as this may sound, do something about the addict in your life. Stop avoiding the situation. Quit enabling the addiction. Stop suffering in silence. Don’t lie to yourself. We all have experiences with addiction and we all know, if we don’t do something, it only gets worse. So do something. </li> <li> To make sure we don’t fall victim to a money addiction, get out and get active. Educate. Prognosticate. Most important, <a href="http://time.com/5107499/record-number-of-women-are-running-for-office/">get involved politically</a>. At the very least, get out and vote. <a href="http://www.gmfus.org/blog/2018/04/06/democracy-under-attack-outlook-india">Democracy may be under global attack</a> and <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/madeleine-albright-fascism-a-warning-trump-north-korea/">fascism may soon come a knocking</a>, but we still have the power to vote. Sure, <a href="https://theconversation.com/star-wars-is-a-religion-that-primes-us-for-war-and-violence-89443">they’d like you to believe it is a “good versus evil”</a>, left versus right, Darth versus Luke sort of thing, but there are addicts on both sides, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carrie-fisher-bipolar-disorder-addiction-mental-health-stigma/">and even the princesses struggle with addiction</a>. </li> </ol> See this problem for what it is: A loosely organized group of global addicts <a href="http://time.com/4362872/bilderberg-group-meetings-2016-conspiracy-theories/">getting together</a> to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/16/politics/senate-judiciary-committee-trump-tower-transcripts/index.html">figure out ways</a> to enrich each other financially. If you think this is about “<a href="http://time.com/donald-trump-drain-swamp/">draining the swamp</a>” and <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/donald-trump-jobs-economic-plan-228218">jobs for the people</a>, you are gravely mistaken. It is about <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/17/nyregion/kushner-deal-qatar-666-5th.html">sidling up to the trough</a> and gobbling as much as they can, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jan/16/worlds-eight-richest-people-have-same-wealth-as-poorest-50">no matter how obscene it gets</a>. It is about the <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/5/15/17355202/trump-zte-indonesia-lido-city">“you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”</a> service of globalized addiction. It is a serious problem, and we should all be concerned, because to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/18/republicans-trump-silence-racism">enabling addicts</a>, everything, even a holocaust, is merely an “<a href="http://mondoweiss.net/2007/04/the_holocaust_a/">opportunity</a>” for amassing more wealth. Like any addict in the throes of their addiction, there’s no limit to how far this can go. While there is still time, gently, carefully, take their <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/12/politics/pentagon-budget-increase-trump/index.html">big sticks</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/03/donald-trump-boasts-nuclear-button-bigger-kim-jong-un">red buttons</a> away. Don’t hurt them and punish them, because that’s what made these people sick to begin with. Instead, remind them of the illness that binds them, and get them the help that they need. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/opinion/sunday/for-the-love-of-money.html">Don’t let yourself or the ones you love become like Sam Polk, “a giant fireball of greed.”</a> See the truth. Take some action. If you need it, get help.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/96517/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Mike Sosteric, Associate Professor, Sociology, Athabasca University. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-money-is-destroying-the-world-96517">The Conversation</a>.

Retirement Income

Our smartphone addiction is killing us – can apps that limit screen time offer a lifeline?

We’re <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/article/361587/tech-addiction-by-the-numbers-how-much-time-we-spend-online">squandering increasing amounts of time</a> distracted by our phones. And that’s taking a <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Time,%20Money,%20and%20Subjective%20Well-Being_cb363d54-6410-4049-9cf5-9d7b3bc94bcb.pdf">serious toll</a> on our mental and physical well-being. Perhaps ironically, software developers themselves have been on the forefront of efforts to solve this problem by creating apps that aim to help users disconnect from their devices. Some apps reward you for staying off your phone for set periods of time. Others “punish” or block you from accessing certain sites or activities altogether. But over the past year, Apple <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/27/technology/apple-screen-time-trackers.html">has been removing or restricting</a> some of the top screen time or parental control apps from its App Store, according to a New York Times analysis. At the same time, Apple – <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-29/apple-says-it-pulled-parental-control-apps-over-privacy-concerns?srnd=technology-vp">which cited privacy concerns</a> for removing the apps – launched its own screen-time tracker that comes pre-installed on new iPhones. Limiting iPhone users’ access to other types of apps is a bad thing because certain ones may work better for some people than others. And <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.03.043">research</a> by myself and others shows that excessive technology use can be problematic. In extreme cases, it is linked to depression, accidents and even death. But what makes some apps work better than others? Behavioral science, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zKUs7bQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">my area of expertise</a>, can shed some light. Why we need help Technology is <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2286877/ex-google-boss-says-youre-addicted-to-your-smartphone-and-its-time-to-kick-the-habit/">designed</a> to be addictive. And a society that is “<a href="https://www.textrequest.com/blog/mean-mobile-dependent/">mobile dependent</a>” has a hard time spending even minutes away from their app-enabled smartphones. In 2017, U.S. adults <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/article/361587/tech-addiction-by-the-numbers-how-much-time-we-spend-online">spent an average of three hours and 20 minutes a day</a> using their smartphones and tablets. This is double the amount from just five years ago, according to an annual survey of internet trends. <a href="https://flurrymobile.tumblr.com/post/157921590345/us-consumers-time-spent-on-mobile-crosses-5">Another survey</a> suggests most of that time is spent on arguably unproductive activities like Facebook, gaming and other types of social media. This addiction has consequences. The most serious, of course, is when it leads to fatalities, like those that result from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/business/tech-distractions-blamed-for-rise-in-traffic-fatalities.html">distracted driving</a> or even <a href="http://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_109_18">taking selfies</a>. But it also takes a serious toll on our mental health, as my own research has demonstrated. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.03.043">One experiment</a> I conducted with a colleague found that looking at Facebook profiles of people having fun at parties made new college students feel like they didn’t belong. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167217727496">Another study</a> suggested that people who spent more time using social media were less happy. Ultimately, our phones’ constant connection to the internet – and our constant connection to our phones – means that we miss out on bonding with those that we care about most, <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Time,%20Money,%20and%20Subjective%20Well-Being_cb363d54-6410-4049-9cf5-9d7b3bc94bcb.pdf">lowering everyone’s happiness</a> in the process. Trying to unplug The good news is that most of us aren’t oblivious to the negative effects of technology and have a <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/08/22/how-teens-and-parents-navigate-screen-time-and-device-distractions/">strong desire to disconnect</a>. As you might expect in a market economy, businesses are doing their best to give us what we want. Examples include a Brooklyn-based startup <a href="https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/how-this-dumb-phone-is-helping-people-everywhere-kick-smartphone-habit.html">selling bare-bones phones</a> without an internet connection, hotels offering families <a href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/wyndham-hotels-discount-smartphone-lock">discounts</a> if they give up their mobiles during their stay, and resorts creating packages built on the idea of creating sacred spaces where consumers <a href="https://www.nextavenue.org/digital-detox-8-places-unplug-and-unwind/">leave their devices at home</a>. And app developers have also risen to the challenge with software aimed at helping us use our phones less. Goal setting is key Apple’s screen-time app is a good first step because it shows you how much time you are spending on apps and websites – and possibly raise some red flags. However, many apps go much further. Research suggests that you should download applications that ask you to set <a href="http://kops.uni-konstanz.de/bitstream/handle/123456789/10101/99Goll_ImpInt.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y">specific goals</a> that are tied to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1103170108">concrete actions</a>. Making commitments upfront <a href="http://DOI.org/10.1257/jep.25.4.191">can be a powerful motivator</a>, even more so than financial incentives. For example, <a href="https://inthemoment.io/">Moment</a> asks users to set specific technology-limiting goals tied to their daily actions, such as setting up an alert when you pick up the phone during dinner time. <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.offtime.kit&hl=en_US">Offtime</a> prompts users with warnings when they are about to exceed the limits for an online activity they’ve set. <a href="https://www.flipdapp.co/">Flipd</a> takes it a step further and actually completely blocks certain phone apps once users have exceeded pre-determined targets – even if you try to reset the device – making it the ultimate commitment app. Similarly, <a href="https://getcoldturkey.com/">Cold Turkey Blocker</a> prevents users from accessing literally any other function of their desktop computers for a certain period of time until they have completed self-set goals, like writing. While this might not affect phone use, it could help you be more productive at work. Defaults are your friend Another helpful trait in an application involves configuring default settings to encourage less technology use. In their award-winning book “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/304634/nudge-by-richard-h-thaler-and-cass-r-sunstein/9780143115267/">Nudge</a>,” Nobel Prize winner Richard Thaler and Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein showed how adjusting the default for a company’s retirement plan – such as by requiring employees to opt out rather than opt in – <a href="http://www.nber.org/chapters/c4539.pdf">makes it easier</a> to achieve a goal like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/380085">saving enough</a> for your golden years. Your phone’s applications can take advantage of that technique as well. <a href="https://freedom.to/">Freedom</a>, for example, is an app that automatically blocks users from visiting “distracting” apps and websites, such as social media and video games. Unfortunately, it is one of the apps that Apple removed from its store. <a href="https://www.ransomly.com/">Ransomly</a> alters the default setting of a room – such as the dining room – to be phone and screen free by using a sensor and app to automatically turn off all devices when they’re in the vicinity. Rewards and punishments Offering rewards is another strategy that is grounded in behavioral research. We tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/374702">highly value rewards earned through effort</a>, even when they have no cash value. Indeed, smartphone software frequently takes advantage of this idea, such as in various apps that offer “badges” for hitting certain daily fitness milestones. Productivity apps incorporate these rewards as well by providing users with points for prizes – such as shopping discounts and yoga experiences – when they meet their screen-time goals. Since static rewards become demotivating over time, choose an application that provides <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/679418">uncertain and surprising rewards</a>. An even more powerful motivator than earning rewards can be losing them. That’s because research shows that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.5.1.193">losing has a larger impact on behavior than winning</a>, so if you’re serious about changing your behavior try an application that incurs critical costs. Examples include <a href="https://www.beeminder.com/">Beeminder</a>, which takes US$5 from your credit card for every goal you don’t meet, and <a href="https://www.forestapp.cc/en/">Forest</a>, which provides you with the chance to grow a beautiful animated tree – or to watch it slowly wither and die – depending on whether or not you meet your technology goals. Persistence pays Persistence is one of the hardest parts of accomplishing any new goal, from losing weight to learning how to cook. Research suggests that capitalizing on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732214550405">social motivations</a> – like the need to fit in – can encourage <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.12858">persistent behavioral change</a>. Constant connection to technology undermines happiness, relationships and productivity. Applications that take advantage of the latest insights from behavioral science can help us disconnect and get on with living our lives. Written by Ashley Whillans, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-smartphone-addiction-is-killing-us-can-apps-that-limit-screen-time-offer-a-lifeline-116220">The Conversation</a>.

Mind

58-year-old Aussie curbs “horrendous” 27-year smoking addiction with these simple steps

A Queensland, Australian man who claimed he smoked up to 100 cigarettes a day “nonstop” for 27 years has opened up about just how exactly he kicked the “filthy” addiction. 58-year-old Walter Humphreys admitted to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7101949/Die-hard-smoker-100-day-cigarette-habit-QUITS-puffing-27-years-heres-how.html">Daily Mail</a> he was a “walking disaster” before he quit his drug addiction. The Townsville local explained he would puff on a cigarette from the moment he woke up at 5am until 10pm, every day. “It was one after the other, all day and all night. “I had nicotine stains all over me fingers, me bed. I was just a wreck.” The “horrifying” addiction began for Mr Humphrey’s when he was just 13 and his stepbrother and mates peer-pressured him into taking his first puff. The bad habit soured into a full-blown addiction when the 58-year-old landed himself in jail in 1990. His addiction did not waver when battling with leukemia and several bouts of chemotherapy seven years ago. The turning point for Mr Humphreys began two years ago when he was diagnosed with chronic lung cancer which is when the 58-year-old decided to make the most of his “second chance” at life. Walter managed to cut down 100 cigarettes per day to 80, then to 60, 40, 20 and then zero with the help of Queensland’s Quitline. He revealed the hardest part was slashing his addiction from 100 smokes a day to 80. “Your lungs are so used to copping a beating, and the cravings were more strong,” he said. “I was craving (so bad), I was chewing my fingers, my fingernails - I just couldn't keep busy enough.” Mr Humpreys biggest tips to those struggling with a smoking addiction is to think about anything other than cigarettes. “If you think about it, you're gone,” he said. “Go and do something, anything - watch TV, have a shower - keep busy and don't think about it.” While the former smoking addict has completely cut cigarettes from his life, he confirmed “everyone relapses, we’re not perfect… I’m trying my best.” “Before you know it, you're walking down the street and going, 'I can smell the fresh air, and smell the ocean' - I couldn't do that before.. “If I can help just one person to quit the habit then it's worth doing this story.”

Caring

Addicted to real estate! Inside Ellen DeGeneres’ stunning new $40 million Californian home

Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi have splashed out a whopping US$27 (NZD $39,972 million) on a new home in California. The Montecito residence is a Balinese-inspired property with over 8000 square feet for the couple to relax and entertain in. The luxurious home boasts five bedrooms and 10 bathrooms for the celeb duo and their guests too. Both DeGeneres and de Rossi have a habit of dabbling in the property market – snapping up a whopping 15 properties in the last 25 years. The TV show host is notorious for her property investing, spending at least US$145 million flipping houses. Their married couple's most recent purchase hosts a number of exotic features, with bamboo ceilings, flamed black limestone, distressed oak floors and alluring colour schemes. A place made for entertainment – the property boasts an added guesthouse, complete with two ensuite bedrooms, a kitchen and a detached office. Scroll through the gallery above to take a tour of the gorgeous property. Could you see yourself living in this luxury home? Let us know in the comments below.

International Travel

5 signs you’re addicted to social media

Feel anxious if you don't have a direct line to social media or wake at night to scroll through your timeline? Then you may be hooked on social media. Social media is entwined in our everyday lives. Most people check and interact on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram multiple times a day, but not everyone can control their level of activity. Resource Therapy Institute psychologist and executive director Philipa Thornton says the pathological habit can be harmful towards people's physical health, mental state and relationships. Engaging in social media is a form of escapism, which we naturally enjoy and is fine in controlled doses, Thornton says. "Overuse is often anxiety driven. The person might be using it to escape or avoid anxiety or the real stresses in their life, so they don't have to deal with it. It can be a sign that other parts of the person aren't doing so well." If that's the case the root of the problem should be addressed, she says. A person's personality type could make them more venerable to social media's pull. She explains those who have an introverted personality, high anxiety, problems with impulse control or are susceptible to loneliness are more likely to overuse social media. "If you're anxious, lonely or stressed and don't have more effective coping mechanisms to sooth these emotions then you're more likely to form the obsession." But, it's not your fault if you do feel hooked. Our brains actually reward us for updating our Facebook status. "Our brains love repetition. They're wired to form habits. The more you do something, the stronger the neural pathway becomes," Thornton says. Research has shown "the pleasure and reward centre of the brain can light up and release dopamine when people go onto social media. This part of the brain typically lights up and responds to sex and food. It's a very primal reaction," Thornton says. The modern phenomenon is not a clinically recognised addiction, but that doesn't mean it can't have a harmful impact on people's lives. 5 signs you are addicted to social media Thornton says if you can say yes to the following then it may be time to take a step back from social media: <ol> <li>Losing sleep. Your normal sleeping patterns are interrupted.</li> <li>Tension in your relationships. If your partner or family members feel irritated or resentful towards your usage.</li> <li>Can't go without it for a short time. Feeling anxious or stressed if you're not connected.</li> <li>Missing out on real life. Failing to attend social activities or meetings.</li> <li>Bank balance drained. Spending more money than you're comfortable with.</li> </ol> Written by Laura Baker. First appeared on <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Mind

Meet the 67-year-old gran addicted to bodybuilding

Southland grandmother Margaret Ereckson is not what most people picture when they think of a bodybuilder. The 67-year-old is one of the oldest women getting ready to compete in the National Amateur Body Builders Association (NABBA) NZ bodybuilding competition at James Hargest College on April 22. "I am the nanna of the group," says Ereckson. Her journey into the sport was a long one, she said. It all started when she was in her 50s. Weighing her heaviest at nearly 99kg, she decided enough was enough and it was time to get fit again. She entered herself into the Surf to City and walked 12km for the first time in a long time. Finding her groove, she started to run on a regular basis and the next year she entered the Surf to City she ran the whole way. Each year she built up her goal, eventually running a marathon in Dunedin. "I lost about 40 kilos." She was ecstatic with her progress, until she was diagnosed with a heart condition. "I had to put everything on pause," says Ereckson. Having to put running to one side, she was concerned all her the hard work to get fit would go down the drain. That's when she heard about a bodybuilding group in Invercargill. "I watched the people in the gym and thought they had so much commitment. I thought, why not?" She kept it quiet though. "The only people who knew were my trainer and my husband". The biggest challenge for her was the idea of wearing a bikini. "I had never worn a bikini in my life," says Ereckson. It wasn't until her trainer posted a photo of her competing on Facebook that her family found out. "I got this call, 'mum what are you doing?' It was pretty funny." Now she is hooked on bodybuilding. "It's not about losing weight anymore, it's about keeping fit and feeling confident," says Ereckson. Invercargill will host its first National Amateur Body Builders Association (NABBA) NZ bodybuilding competition on April 22 at James Hargest College. The competition is one of 12 shows to be hosted in New Zealand this year, with the Invercargill being the only competition in which entrants can qualify for international events. Written by Joanna Griffiths. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Image credit: Joanna Griffiths.

News

What the 5 most addictive substances do to your brain

Addiction experts weigh in on what the most addictive drugs in the world do to your brain. 1. Heroin Addiction experts rank heroin as the most addictive drug in the world. In animal experiments, the opiate causes the level of dopamine in the brain’s reward system to increase by up to 200 per cent. It’s also one of the most dangerous drugs as overdoses are likely, with the dosage of heroin that can cause death being only five times greater than the dose for a high. 2. Alcohol It’s not an illegal substance but alcohol is considered the second more addictive substance, with lab experiments showing ingestion of alcohol increases dopamine levels in the brain’s reward system by 40 to 360 per cent. The World Health Organisation estimated that three million people died in 2012 due to the damaging effects of alcohol on the body. 3. Cocaine It is estimated that between 14 to 20 million people worldwide use cocaine. Experts rank crack cocaine as the third most damaging drug and powdered cocaine as the fifth most damaging. The drug prevents your brain from turning the dopamine signal off, which results in heightened and abnormal activity in the brain’s reward pathways. 4. Barbiturates (“downers”) They’re called various things like blue bullets, gorillas, nembies, barbs and pink ladies, but barbiturates were originally used to treat anxiety and to induce sleep. The drug interferes with signalling in the brain, effectively shutting down various brain regions. At low doses, the drug can cause euphoria, but at high doses it can shut down breathing. 5. Nicotine The main addictive ingredient of tobacco, nicotine, is a powerfully addictive drug. When you smoke a cigarette, nicotine is absorbed into the lungs and delivered to the brain, causing dopamine levels in the brain’s reward system to rise by about 25 to 40 per cent. In 2002, the WHO estimated there were more than one billion smokers worldwide. Tobacco is estimated to kill more than eight million people annually by 2030. Source: The Conversation Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/02/yoga-to-relieve-still-muscles-and-joints/">Gentle yoga moves you can do in bed</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/02/inspired-moment-leads-to-new-creative-path-after-retirement/">How an inspired moment led to a creative new path after retirement</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/body/2016/02/reasons-to-give-yoga-a-chance/">10 reasons to give yoga chance</a>

Body

Study finds sugar is as addictive as drugs

Ever wondered why shortly after a sugary snack you suddenly crave more? New research from the Queensland University of Technology has found that sugar has the same addictive properties as certain drugs, like cocaine. Masoor Shariff, one of the scientists behind the study, found that the effects of sugar on the brain are similar to that of drug abuse – they both change the layout of brain cells in the same manner. “Basically brain cells communicate with each other and other parts of the body and if there’s a change in the structure and layout it’s going to change that communication, impacting behaviour,” he told <a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/new-research-finds-sugar-addiction-is-like-drug-abuse/news-story/e67611eed4bba66a94e7d945669c22b2" target="_blank">News.com.au</a>. These behavioural impacts include binge-eating, lack of motivation and low mood. Like certain drugs, when we consume sugar our brain releases the "happy hormone" dopamine. Since our dopamine levels drop after having sugar, our brains send out signals that make us want more, so that we can get those good feelings back. This is how we get addicted to drugs, and, as this study shows, to sugar as well. On the other side, this also means we experience withdrawals from sugar in the same way as recovering drug addicts when they go cold turkey. The research shows promise for the obesity epidemic in Australia, as it is thought that medication used to lower tobacco cravings could also be used to help sugar addicts. As for switching sugar for artificial sweeteners? Don’t even think about it. Because they taste just like sugar, they produce the same effects in the brain as sugar. So, while they may be better for your waistline, they’re just as bad for your brain. Related links: <a href="/health/body/2016/04/full-fat-milk-reduces-diabetes-risk/">Full-fat milk said to reduce risk of diabetes</a> <a href="/health/body/2016/04/shocking-effect-of-fast-foods-on-body/">Shocking effect of fast foods on the body</a> <a href="/health/body/2016/04/images-on-food-packaging-causing-you-to-overeat/">The sneaky thing that causes you to overeat</a>

News

Illustrations picture our addiction with technology

French artist Jean Jullien has created a series of illustrations that poke fun at society’s sometimes absurd addiction to technology. Jullien is the first to admit that he’s always on his phone and laptop, so he’s not advocating for a technological-free world, but his gently mocking artworks do ask the question of what we’re missing out on in our obsession with devices. To find more of Jean Jullien’s work, <a href="http://www.jeanjullien.com/">visit his website here.</a> Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/technology/2015/10/new-emojis/">New emojis released with iPhone update</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/technology/2015/10/gmail-little-known-tricks/">7 Gmail tricks you don’t know but should</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/technology/2015/08/dont-miss-facebook-updates/">How to stop missing updates from friends on Facebook</a>

Technology

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Addicted to real estate! Inside Ellen DeGeneres’ stunning new $40 million Californian home

5 signs you’re addicted to social media

Meet the 67-year-old gran addicted to bodybuilding

What the 5 most addictive substances do to your brain

Study finds sugar is as addictive as drugs

Illustrations picture our addiction with technology