May 9, 2012

"Talking about ourselves—whether in a personal conversation or through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter—triggers the same sensation of pleasure in the brain as food or money..."

A new study.
Generally, acts of self disclosure were accompanied by spurts of heightened activity in brain regions belonging to the meso-limbic dopamine system, which is associated with the sense of reward and satisfaction from food, money or sex.
Ah! I thought of a weight-loss epigram: Instead of eating: Tweeting.

I've got another: Don't be a hog: Blog.

11 comments:

edutcher said...

Well, that explains a lot about Meadhouse.

I keep telling The Blonde she ought to start a nursing blog s=o she can expose how miserably nurses are treated and raise public awareness.

Now there's another incentive.

KLDAVIS said...

"Instead of eating: Tweeting."

Runs contrary to the current meme.

BarrySanders20 said...

Me me me me me me .... me!me!me!ME! ME! ME!


Ohhhhhhhhhhh.

I really should start the Facebook and the twitter and the you tube. Such personal gratification, so little effort.

Matt Sablan said...

... The link, it appeals to me. Time to steal it for a blog.

Matt Sablan said...

Some questions: How much money were they offered? At higher amounts, does the incentive to boast taper off? They said their test subjects were local, were they self selected? Do we think that people who elected to be a part of a study might be more extroverted than a representative population (was the population representative?) I also wonder how long this premium on self expression might continue. In a few years or decades, will it still be novel to talk about ourselves so frequently?

On the plus side, it is still true for now: the best way to get people to like you is to get them to talk about themselves.

Richard Dolan said...

Well, that explains a lot about our cool-dude president. His favorite activity is talking and writing about himself. Win or (more likely) lose, O-man is going to have the time of his life over the next six months.

dreams said...

"Talking about ourselves—whether in a personal conversation or through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter—triggers the same sensation of pleasure in the brain as food or money..."

Not to mention Althouse blog comments.

Wince said...

Talking about ourselves... triggers the same sensation of pleasure in the brain as food or money...

No wonder Obama looks emaciated.

Carnifex said...

And there's no messy clean up. Or embarrassing accidents at baggage check in.

Saint Croix said...

"No need for sex. Text!"

I don't think that's going to catch on.

Generally, acts of self disclosure were accompanied by spurts of heightened activity in brain regions belonging to the meso-limbic dopamine system, which is associated with the sense of reward and satisfaction from food, money or sex.

I think the spike levels are a little off. It's like talking about K2, Mount Everest, the Matterhorn, and that little hill in my backyard.

Joe said...

In other words, some sophisticated scientists "discovered" that some people really enjoy interacting with other people. Who knew?