5 Things you didn't know you were addicted to

An addiction is a habitual or compulsive physiological or psychological need for something. It is often characterized by a yearning that affects daily routine and severe withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can vary depending on the addictive stimuli, but frequently include low mood states and low energy levels. The stigma of an addict is often a washed out drunkard, and you couldn’t possibly fall into the same category as them, could you? Yes, you can and do. Evolution has meant that most humans are innately geared or conditioned to be addicted to certain things quite simply because it helps us survive.

Human interaction – As social animals, we depend on one another for financial, emotional and materialistic gain. Very few people would be able to survive without assistance from farmers, shopkeepers, or electricians. To ensure our survival, our brain has evolved certain mechanics to keep us socialising. Every time we talk o someone or make physical contact, our reward system is activated, causing a release of dopamine, essentially making us feel happy. This association between happiness and humans conditions us to seek out human interaction to emotionally fulfil us. Being deprived of human interaction, especially in childhood, can have massively adverse effects mentally and emotionally, and sometimes even physically as some abandoned children are reported to unconsciously rock themselves, and spontaneously hit themselves as an unintentional form of self harm. The seeking of human behaviour is evident in our daily routines as we go to a club or chat with others for seemingly no profit, and withdrawal symptoms can be detrimental. Human interaction is the biggest addiction of all.

Sugar – Sugar is a carbon compound that we cannot live without. Glucose (sugar) is essential for cells to respire, and therefore is responsible for all of our actions, including moving and thinking! It is also the trigger of a dopamine reward system that means when we consume sugary food, like when we socialise, we become happier. It is the reason we comfort eat when we’re sad and the reason maintaining a restricted diet is so hard – we crave the high concentration of sugar found in chocolate bars. A sudden decrease in sugar levels can cause people to become slightly moody. Although we are essentially addicted to sugar, too much is very bad for you (for example, causing diabetes) and must be eaten in moderation, and from a healthy source such as fruit.

Laziness – Even in this day and age where we know exercise is beneficial, we still elect to drive to work and are constantly developing technology to do work for us, such as the un-manned vacuum cleaner. This is another evolutionary hangover, as our ancestors did not always have a constant food supply or heated homes, and therefore it was essential to find a short cut for everything to restrict energy expenditure. Now, despite having an abundance of nearly everything and knowing that mental and physical exercise is essential, we often still strive to do minimal and expect reward or recognition when we choose to do anything above that. If we do not get rewarded or are forced to do more, we become stressed and often angry. It would appear that we are in fact addicted to laziness. 

Tanning – As UV rays damage skin cells, your body produces beta endorphins, neurotransmitters created to numb pain and deal with stress. This probably occurs because your body thinks it is being harmed (which it is!). You then get addicted to the pleasurable sensation induces by sun-bathing. Furthermore, sunlight that is detected by the eyes inhibits the production of melatonin, which causes an increase in cortisol levels as they work antagonistically. The increased cortisol levels increases alertness. These effects can also help form an addiction.

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