The texting incident. / lab mice
Still no job. Not sure how I'm gonna pay rent next month. Looking bad.
Anyway. Last week, I was getting irritated by a friend of mine who didn't return my text messages- or at least was taking forever to do so, and for some reason which I didn't completely understand, this was REALLY getting to me. Part of it was an expectations thing; there's another buddy of mine who doesn't return texts for the better part of a week, and she's been that way as long as I've known her, so I don't sweat it. But this person usually gets back to me in under 2 minutes, so it was really bugging me that she wasn't- well for that reason, among others.
I was listening to the morning talk radio show I usually do- or at least I downloaded the podcast of it, since I'm too lazy to listen to the radio, apparently. And they were talking about this New York Times article which explained that when you get a new text message, etc etc, your brain actually releases dopamine:
"These play to a primitive impulse to respond to immediate opportunities and threats. The stimulation provokes excitement - a dopamine squirt - that researchers say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored."
And while listening to the radio show I started reflecting, and I actually began to view my reaction to getting a text message, hearing my phone do that sweet little buzz or that little beep if I haven't noticed the buzz after a minute...I began to view it as a bad habit. Especially after the host of the show in question said he'd found himself checking his iPhone while being alone with his baby, and berated himself for paying more attention to that than his son. On a related note, I should mention that my phone's buzz/beep upon getting a text message is only "sweet" in the way that people grow to like the taste of cigarettes or hard alcohol- it's an positive association made in the brain, more than an objective liking.
So I thought to myself, maybe on some level not getting my text returned bothered me because it meant I wasn't getting my hit of dope. Normally I send a text to this person and they send one right back... So, in my mind, maybe I'm having the same reaction a lab mouse would have. You know those experiments where they have the lab animal hit a switch or press a button, and then food comes out after they do? Something like that. So I hit my button, but I'm not getting any food. I'm wasn't getting my hit of dopamine, and so I freaked out.
I really need to get a job. I'm cracking up. Again, that is.
Anyway. Last week, I was getting irritated by a friend of mine who didn't return my text messages- or at least was taking forever to do so, and for some reason which I didn't completely understand, this was REALLY getting to me. Part of it was an expectations thing; there's another buddy of mine who doesn't return texts for the better part of a week, and she's been that way as long as I've known her, so I don't sweat it. But this person usually gets back to me in under 2 minutes, so it was really bugging me that she wasn't- well for that reason, among others.
I was listening to the morning talk radio show I usually do- or at least I downloaded the podcast of it, since I'm too lazy to listen to the radio, apparently. And they were talking about this New York Times article which explained that when you get a new text message, etc etc, your brain actually releases dopamine:
"These play to a primitive impulse to respond to immediate opportunities and threats. The stimulation provokes excitement - a dopamine squirt - that researchers say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored."
And while listening to the radio show I started reflecting, and I actually began to view my reaction to getting a text message, hearing my phone do that sweet little buzz or that little beep if I haven't noticed the buzz after a minute...I began to view it as a bad habit. Especially after the host of the show in question said he'd found himself checking his iPhone while being alone with his baby, and berated himself for paying more attention to that than his son. On a related note, I should mention that my phone's buzz/beep upon getting a text message is only "sweet" in the way that people grow to like the taste of cigarettes or hard alcohol- it's an positive association made in the brain, more than an objective liking.
So I thought to myself, maybe on some level not getting my text returned bothered me because it meant I wasn't getting my hit of dope. Normally I send a text to this person and they send one right back... So, in my mind, maybe I'm having the same reaction a lab mouse would have. You know those experiments where they have the lab animal hit a switch or press a button, and then food comes out after they do? Something like that. So I hit my button, but I'm not getting any food. I'm wasn't getting my hit of dopamine, and so I freaked out.
I really need to get a job. I'm cracking up. Again, that is.