A piece on gambling addiction illustrates how little we know about the way the human brain makes decisions. Excerpt:
The attraction to gambling comes from the
adrenaline rush of tension and suspense that gambling offers. It’s similar to
what one feels watching a horror movie; excited, fearful, but unable to tune
out.Rationally we know the gambling house always wins or they wouldn’t stay in
business. But there’s something about gambling that blocks out rational
thinking. That’s what causes some to get addicted.
Barbara Bova, Gambling Can Get a Terrible Hold on People, Scripps-Howard News Service, Aug. 19, 2005 (paragraphing and emphasis added).
In the past I’ve experienced what I suspect is a similar blockage of
rational thinking when I come home from work and nosh "just a little"
instead of waiting the very few minutes till dinner. My resolve of
that morning, to eat lightly in the evening, can simply evaporate.
There have been times I’ve been conscious of the evaporation as it
happens. I’ve noticed that I simply don’t seem to care — until the
next morning, when I berate myself for having let myself go. I wonder
if alcoholics act in a similar pattern.
I strongly suspect brain physiology and -chemistry has a lot to do
with it. I’ve noticed that if I don’t have a glass of wine, I’m less
prone to eating with abandon.
In the brain-chemistry department, I’ve been astounded how a
post-caffeine crash can affect my mood. I can get tense and irritable,
and can snap at people. I learned that when I gave up coffee to be
supportive during my wife’s first pregnancy. It about killed me. I’ve
been off caffeine for years because of that.
We know so little about how the brain functions when we make choices.
(Hat tip: TitusOneNine)
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