Episode #28: HiJacked Brain: Dopamine, Addiction and the Illusion of Control

Описание: We tend to think addiction is something extreme — drugs, alcohol, catastrophic outcomes. But what happens when the addiction looks productive? Normal? Even celebrated? From doom-scrolling and coffee dependence to workaholism, porn, shopping carts, and productivity hacks, we unpack the behavioral addictions quietly shaping our lives.

Drawing from the work of Dr. Anna Lembke and Dr. Gabor Maté, we explore how brains wired for survival in scarcity are now drowning in abundance. Why does instant gratification feel so good in the moment — but leave us emptier later? Why do some people get hooked on one behavior but not another? And if dopamine is the brain’s currency, are we earning it… or swiping the pleasure credit card and paying emotional interest later?

We get into trauma, coping, evolutionary wiring, and the uncomfortable truth that many of our “bad habits” are really attempts to soothe pain, escape discomfort, or manufacture control in a world engineered to hijack our attention.

Because maybe addiction isn’t about weakness.
Maybe it’s about wiring.
And maybe the biggest illusion of all… is thinking we’re fully in control.

If your brain feels fried, distracted, compulsive — don’t worry. You’re not broken. You’re living in the dopamine economy. This week, we’re auditing our dopamine accounts… and let’s just say most of us are overdrafted.

We do not own the rights to the music:
Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Breaking the Habit - Linkin Park

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