All of us think we know what addiction looks like: it’s the compulsive consumption of drugs, alcohol, or nicotine. But psychiatrist Anna Lembke argues that this definition is far too narrow — and that a broader understanding of addiction might help us to understand why so many people are anxious and depressed. This week, we begin a two-part series that explains how and why humans are wired to pursue pleasure, and all the ways the modern world tempts us with addictive substances and behaviors.
Duration
56m
Broadcast on
10 Jul 2023
Audio Format
other
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All of us think we know what addiction looks like: it’s the compulsive consumption of drugs, alcohol, or nicotine. But psychiatrist Anna Lembke argues that this definition is far too narrow — and that a broader understanding of addiction might help us to understand why so many people are anxious and depressed. This week, we begin a two-part series that explains how and why humans are wired to pursue pleasure, and all the ways the modern world tempts us with addictive substances and behaviors.
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This is Hidden Brain, I'm Shankar Vedantam. In the hit television show Ozark, a bright financial advisor finds himself suddenly working on the wrong side of the law. What's our story for the kids? Well, we could tell them the truth, Wendy, how would that be? Following a series of bad decisions by his business partner, Marty Bird, played by Jason Bateman, begins working for a drug cartel. I want you to be ready to set up shop within a week. Yeah, Marty, when I drive by your house, there better be a foresail sign under law. Almost from the start, the bodies start to fall. People get thrown off balconies. People get shocked. People are electrocuted. When government officials get involved, more violence unfolds. People betray one another. They cheat each other. They act in selfish and short-sighted ways. Let me just jog your memory for a minute. There was an innocent man who was murdered. Gary, he was a good man. You might say this is the genre of the drug movie or television show. You see it in critically acclaimed TV shows like The Wire and Breaking Bad, and in movies such as Traffic and Scarface. Shout-out to my little friend! [GRUNTS] Do you want to play with us? OK. Go! OK. Running through these dramas, we sense the irresistible power of drug addiction, the implacable draw of heroin or cocaine or methamphetamine, the chaos and crime that follow everywhere the drug trade is polite. I've watched many of these TV shows and movies as entertainment. For many years, I also reported on the work of researchers who study the science of drug addiction. But some time ago, I came by a mind-bending idea that transformed my understanding of addiction. It challenged how I think about drugs and what it means to be addicted. And it told me that as gripping as TV shows and movies about the drug trade might be, they don't begin to capture the profound story of addiction
Transcription truncated.
All of us think we know what addiction looks like: it’s the compulsive consumption of drugs, alcohol, or nicotine. But psychiatrist Anna Lembke argues that this definition is far too narrow — and that a broader understanding of addiction might help us to understand why so many people are anxious and depressed. This week, we begin a two-part series that explains how and why humans are wired to pursue pleasure, and all the ways the modern world tempts us with addictive substances and behaviors.
