MENLO SCHOOL • SINCE 1915

The Menlo Roundtable

Your Craving Cycle: The Perils of Modern Overabundance

In the past, we craved because we found pleasure in obtaining something rare or improving our odds of survival.

Sugar. It was always scarce for primitive hunters and gatherers. Social Acceptance. We sought tribe formation for protection, survival, and reproduction. Today, however, the quantity of sugar, and the quantity of social media likes, erupts the dopamine in our brains like a barrage of fireworks. And, since our brains have not evolved to modern overabundance, we love it. Those instantaneous cravings rewarded every couple of seconds with the scroll of the next TikTok keep us satisfied. Keep us addicted.

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