The Pleasure Center: Trust Your Animal Instincts

300 Pages·2008·4.06 MB·English

by  Morten L. Kringelbach

THE
PLEASURE
CENTER
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW YORK 2009
THE
PLEASURE
CENTER
T R U S T Y O U R A N I M A L I N S T I N C T S
MORTEN L. KRINGELBACH
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Copyright © 2009 by Morten L. Kringelbach
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kringelbach, Morten L.
Th e pleasure center : trust your animal instincts
/ Morten L. Kringelbach.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-532285-9
1. Pleasure. 2. Desire. I. Title.
BF515.K5813 2008
152.4ʹ2—dc22
2008023787
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
PREFACE
Few would choose to live a life without emotions, yet at the
same time many people believe that our emotions are obsta-
cles to intelligent action. Emotion is not reason’s antithesis.
On the contrary, it is fi ghting the pleasures and desires of
life that is irrational, because they are essential to all human
behavior. Th is book will help you understand the underpin-
nings of emotion in your brain. Pleasure (and its corollary,
avoidance of pain) is central to this understanding, as it is
the currency for all of our decisions, actions, and experiences.
A better understanding of how pleasure and desire work in
our brains can lead to important insights about our nature
and, in time, may also improve treatment for those whose
depression or mental illness robs them of their pleasure.
I investigate the many facets of pleasure, desire and emo-
tion by probing the reward systems of the brain and, along
the way, uncover the spectrum of human experience from the
sensory inputs and memory, via emotion, through learning,
decisions and consciousness, to madness, drugs and sex.
I also present some of the most interesting new scientifi c
V
VI • PREFACE
discoveries about pleasure and desire. Understanding and
accepting how pleasures and desires arise in the complex
interaction between the brain’s activity and our subjective
experiences can help us to make better decisions, fi nd what
helps us enjoy life, and lead happier lives.
CONTENTS
1 • Th e Challenge: Know Th yself? 3
2 • Decisions: Social Intelligence in the World 11
3 • Consciousness: Artifi cial Pleasures and
Desires in Other Bodies? 30
4 • Emotions: Happiness, Fear, and Trembling 45
5 • Sensation: Making Sense 72
6 • Memories: To Forget is to Remember 93
7 • Learning: Emotions and Th oughts 111
8 • Madness: Malignant Desires 138
9 • Stimulants: Pain and Pleasure, Food
and Drugs 157
10 • Sex: Reproducing Love 184
11 • Future Considerations: Where Do We Go
From Here? 211
Notes 229
Bibliography 253
Acknowledgments 275
Index 279
VII
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THE
PLEASURE
CENTER