The Dopamine Squirt

This blog is dedicated to a phenomenon that neuroscience calls "the dopamine squirt." In a report on NPR some years ago, they mentioned how people who are "texting and driving" can't resist the "beep" or "signal" that tells them they have an incoming message.  Why? Because of the "dopamine squirt."  A little amount of "dopamine" is fired by the brain to illicit a response. DING! "Beep."  "Brrrp brrrp."  We've all become accustomed to those sounds.  They make us either feel pleasure, or feel anxious.  And often they force us to look down at our phones, pick up our cellphones, smart phones or some other device. Our Dick Tracey watch. But science shows that we can overcome these squirts.  We can turn off the device. That works. (Not much fun though.)  We can mute the device, leaving the vibration option on.  Still, it also stimulates the brain, because it's the same message.  (And how ma...