What Makes Behaviors Addictive?
- Reward, Motivation, and Dopamine
- Distraction from Pain
- Intermittent Reinforcement
- Social Acceptability and Peer Pressure
- Sources
What is a Behavioral Addiction?
Think you're safe from the epidemic of addiction if you don't use drugs or alcohol? Think again. Behavioral addictions--sometimes called process addictions--may be even more common than drug addiction. Gambling addiction alone affects between 3% and 10% of all Americans, with 75% of college students engaging in some form of gambling each year, according to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Though you can't overdose on a behavior, a number of behavioral addictions have the power to create serious, and potentially deadly, issues.
- Shopping addicts may find themselves in debt, while gambling addicts may endanger their lives by seeking loans from unscrupulous bookies.
- Media reports have even highlighted Internet gaming addicts who go days without sleeping, eating or bathing.
Though any behavior can become addictive, those that offer a rapid reward coupled with a spike in brain dopamine levels are the most addictive. Some of the most common behavioral addictions include:
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Gambling, including Internet poker and, sports betting.
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Shopping.
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Internet use, including online gaming and social media.
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Exercise.
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Disordered eating--A 2015 study suggests that conditions such as bulimia and anorexia might actually be a form of addiction.
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Binge eating--Some doctors argue that certain foods, such as sugary snacks, can spur food addictions.
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Pornography, sex, and strip clubs.
So what's behind the phenomenon of behavioral addictions? Every addict has a unique story, but many behavioral addictions have a common theme.
Reward, Motivation, and Dopamine
A number of drugs increase dopamine production, making everyday activities feel more rewarding than they otherwise would. It is this combination of reward and motivation that keeps drug addicts coming back for more, even when their lives and health fall apart. Unlike users who get high on drugs, though, people experiencing behavioral addictions rarely face health or social consequences. This may allow the behavioral addiction to spiral out of control, and friends and family might not notice until your behavioral addiction has undermined every area of your life.
Distraction from Pain
Life is hard. Everyone faces serious challenges--job losses, breakups, family conflict, and the everyday stress of sitting in traffic, waiting in line, and dealing with cruel or unreasonable people.
Behavioral addictions provide a distraction from the difficulties of everyday life. We've all heard the expression "retail therapy," but for a shopping addict, shopping becomes a replacement for healthier coping skills, such as talking to a friend or going to therapy.
Though anyone can develop a behavioral addiction, people with mental illnesses are especially vulnerable to behavioral addiction. The reason for this is pretty simple: mental illness makes life more difficult, and people struggling with mental health issues will often go to great lengths to blunt the pain.
Many people struggling with mental illness spend years trying to fight symptoms. So when something finally works, it's hard to ditch it--even if it costs money or is dangerous
Intermittent Reinforcement
Intermittent reinforcement was first described by famed psychologist B.F. Skinner. Skinner noticed that dogs were more likely to do something if it was only rewarded sometimes.
Skinner noticed that dogs were more likely to do something if it was only rewarded sometimes.
- Constant reward meant that the dog lost interest, while no reward meant the dog had no incentive to persist with the behavior.
- Intermittent reward, however, keeps the dog interested.
- Think of a person repeatedly pulling the level on a casino slot machine. She loses most of the time, but the excitement of a win encourages her to keep going, even when she loses money.
The lows of behavioral addictions are offset by the dizzying highs, and those highs keep addicts going even when their addictions slowly cost them everything.
Social Acceptability and Peer Pressure
Sources
Gambling as addiction. (2005). Science, 307(5708), 349d-349d. doi:10.1126/science.307.5708.349d
Goode, E. (2015, October 12). Anorexia may be habit, not willpower, study finds. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/health/extreme-dieting-of-anorexia-may-be-entrenched-habit-study-finds.html?_r=1
Grant, J. E., Potenza, M. N., Weinstein, A., & Gorelick, D. A. (2010). Introduction to behavioral addictions. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 36(5), 233-241. doi:10.3109/00952990.2010.491884
Intermittent reinforcement. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cyborganthropology.com/Intermittent_Reinforcement
