The Compass of Pleasure summary

We now know that enjoyable activities activate our pleasure circuit. But not all activities trigger the circuit in the same way. Some things stimulate it more strongly than others, which makes the activity itself more addictive.

Heroin has a powerful impact on our pleasure circuit, and thus carries a higher risk of addiction than weaker drugs like cannabis. Drugs such as LSD carry little to no risk of addiction because they don’t activate the pleasure circuit at all.

Why is it that you can never forgo your daily afternoon sugar rush? You’ve guessed it. Because it activates your brain’s pleasure circuit. Although our brains have a system to keep our weight in check, it can be compromised when the delights of fatty foods lead us to addiction.

Let’s take a closer look at our brain’s weight-management system first. You might not believe it, but your body should automatically control its weight. The hypothalamus in our brain receives signals from our body that inform it of gains and losses. As we put on the pounds, the level of leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells, increases. Leptin works by activating neurons in the hypothalamus that suppress appetite and increase energy expenditure.

Sex and love are not the same thing, and that’s not just a line you might hear from a cheating partner. There’s a neurological explanation behind it too.

Falling in love and sexual arousal both activate the pleasure circuit. But the way they activate it is quite different. Unlike in sexual arousal, feelings of love deactivate the judgment and social cognition centers of the brain. This is why when we fall in love with someone, we believe them to be better, smarter or more beautiful than everybody else. Something to consider next time you meet a friend’s questionable new squeeze!

Many of us recoil at the prospect of losing money. Nevertheless, there are those who love the thrill of poker and blackjack. Why? The pleasure circuit is at work.

We’ve already heard about drug addiction in the second blink, and seen how fatty foods can be addictive. But can a recreational behavior like gambling be an addiction too? To find out, let’s take a look at what an addiction really is.

We all know the long-term benefits of exercise, such as mental and cardiovascular improvement. But have you heard about the short-term positive impacts? One of these is runner’s high.

Runner’s high refers to the bliss that runners and other athletes enjoy even when nauseated from fatigue. This physical pain causes increased opioid release in the brain and a rise in endocannabinoids – the brain’s natural cannabis-like molecules – in the bloodstream.