How to Free Your Brain From Its Damaging Obsession With Dopamine

By Tanner Garrity It’s difficult for me think of anything more high-reward, low-stakes than a bodega Belgian waffle. I grabbed one yesterday, on the way to see a friend, because I was tired from work and wanted a quick, pre-packaged, $2 hit of sugar. It did the trick — propelling me through a 20-minute subway ride — but by the time I reached his apartment, I felt sluggish again. That silly stroopwafel makes for an elegant summary of what many psychologists have dubbed modern society’s “evolutionary mismatch.” Our ancestors had every reason to seek out high-reward, low-stakes food. Their very s…

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