Comments on: Personal Development Roadblocks – Pushing Pleasure Buttons

By: Seven Reasons You Check Email So Frequently – And How To Stop

Seven Reasons You Check Email So Frequently – And How To Stop — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 10:04:07 +0000

[...] If you enjoy discussion about how we are controlled by our responses to external stimuli, you may enjoy one of my previous articles on the subject of dopamine and pleasure. [...]

By: The Zealot’s Dilemna – If You’re Right (And You Know It…)

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:02:33 +0000

[...] Irrational, Psychological Traps. Gambling, addition, smoking and other self destructive behaviors that make it difficult for them to rationally evaluate and break out of their behavior. If someone is caught up in these, I find it difficult to hold back – because based on my research, they aren’t able to clearly think for themselves/ [...]

By: Inspirational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:04:00 +0000

From the archives -> : Personal Development Roadblocks – Pushing Pleasure Buttons http://is.gd/doYsJ #success

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:00:21 +0000

From the archives -> : Personal Development Roadblocks – Pushing Pleasure Buttons http://is.gd/doYsJ

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:45:22 +0000

Personal Development Roadblocks – Pushing Pleasure Buttons http://is.gd/doYsJ

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:15:40 +0000

From the archives -> : Personal Development Roadblocks – Pushing Pleasure Buttons http://tr.im/SAtv

By: Will Power: How To Improve Your Personal Self Discipline

Will Power: How To Improve Your Personal Self Discipline — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:02:09 +0000

[...] yourself at all. Self discipline is about freeing yourself from the shackles of base desires. My research on pleasure, analyzing where I waste time online and calling my time wasting weaknesses procrastination [...]

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:03:47 +0000

Hey Tony,

Thanks for your comment!

That discovery channel show sounds fascinating - I'm going to see if I can
dig up a copy and record it (or maybe they have it on their website). You
are right, it does sound very similar to some of the research I came across
while writing this!

Thanks for the heads up!

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:03:47 +0000

By: Tony Rose

Tony Rose — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:51:18 +0000

Wow, As usual incredible article. This makes me rethink what artificial pleasures I am let guide my life and how I need to start taking control. Emotions are such a powerful thing and it is crazy how we can get addicted to them. Not just pleasure but anger and other emotions.

I was watching discovery channel the other day and they were showing the future of sex. All types of machines but the one item that caught my attention was a direct implant into your spine that stimulated your brain and would give you an orgasm. This sounds very similar to to what your article talks about. Personally if I had that implant I think I could let the rest of my artificial pleasures go.. laugh.

Great article!

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:47:49 +0000

Hey Ali!

Thanks I'm glad you enjoyed it, since I know you know a thing or two
about well researched posts =)

I feel like there is definitely more for me to learn about pleasure
and what motivates me, I think more research and a follow up article
is in order

Right after I make some time to exercise ...

On Tuesday, October 20, 2009, Disqus

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:47:49 +0000

By: Ali Hale

Ali Hale — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:14:35 +0000

Sid, thanks for a very fascinating (and extremely well researched!) post. I've come across some of the ideas here before, and it was great to see how you brought it together, with concrete research and examples.

There's something disturbingly dystopian about the idea of artificially stimulating pleasure centres (I've read a sci-fi story or three along those lines!) This also raises questions about purpose: after all, why NOT just find an easy source of euphoria and enjoy it?

Like mrjWells, I find that vigorous physical activity is a great happiness boost - though like most people, it's something I don't make enough time for.

Thanks very much to the links to my posts, by the way! :-) It's always flattering to be linked to at the end of a great article - makes me look good by association ;-)

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:22:09 +0000

Hey Ralph,

Thanks for your comment! And you bring up an interesting point - I've often
wondered whether willpower can be coached, and if so, if it can be practiced
and strengthened. The example you bring up of fasting definitely interests
me and I wonder if there is a correlation there - where people who are able
to fast/control their hunger in turn are the same type of people who
naturally have willpower, or if the act of fasting itself is something that
helps build their willpower!

I will need to research this further ;)

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:20:19 +0000

Hey NomadRip,

Thanks for your comment! I don't have any personal experience with addicts,
and have never worked with them – I appreciate you bringing your experience
to the table and sharing it with me =)

By: Hunter Nuttall

Hunter Nuttall — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:35:32 +0000

RT @codymckibb: @sidsavara shares an article on the brain's pleasure centers and perhaps why we undermine ourselves: http://tr.im/pleasure

By: Ralph

Ralph — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:38:41 +0000

Great post! The pleasure center is a tricky thing. I think its ok to have pleasure as long as the pleasure has you. I try to control how much my pleasure has me by fasting for 3 days about 4 times a year. It helps me say no when I want to say yes.

By: NomadRip

NomadRip — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:18:15 +0000

You're not off base at all. Having worked with a variety of addicts and addictions, there is common denominator in each of them. They all just want to feel better. Otherwise, the drug of choice is irrelevant.

Whichever one flips that switch in their head is just a matter of finding, and different things have different side effects and symptoms.

Once they find it, it makes it hard to turn off. But they all act the same way and on that same part of the brain.

By: Cody McKibben

Cody McKibben — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:28:39 +0000

Wow, @sidsavara shares an impressive article on the brain's pleasure centers and perhaps why we undermine ourselves: http://tr.im/pleasure

By: JunLoayza

JunLoayza — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:32:46 +0000

Is your brain hijacked by pleasure buttons? http://su.pr/1lqiUV via@sidsavara

By: Dragos Roua

Dragos Roua — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:16:16 +0000

Is your brain hijacked by pleasure buttons? http://tr.im/pleasure via
@sidsavara

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:26:43 +0000

Hey Tristan,

One of my favorite quotes is "The easiest way to get rid of temptation is to
yield to it."

;)

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:25:46 +0000

Hey Stephen,

I've been a fan of Rat Race Trap for a while now, so that's a huge
compliment. Thanks very much, I worked pretty hard on it and I'm glad you
enjoyed it!

By: Sid Savara

Sid Savara — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:25:05 +0000

Hey Srini,

Thanks for your comment! I'm no expert (just did the research myself) so I
don't know specifically how surfing affects the pleasure center, but I'm
sure if nothing else you probably get an adrenaline rush ;). There likely
is some connection though!

By: Tristan Lee

Tristan Lee — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:31:15 +0000

I don't think pleasure is a bad thing, just when you when overdo pleasure then life becomes meaningless. Sometimes when we say “no” to things, it won't work because our brain chemicals are saying “yes” to the same things. That's why we should never go overboard our pleasures and just do them in moderation.