The Molecule of More

THE MOLECULE OF MORE

Many video games are also beautiful, another way of stimulating
H&N delight. Some of them are, in fact, astonishing because enormous
resources have been poured into amassing talented people to create
them. The Los Angeles Times reported that developing the online game
Star Wars: The Old Republic required more than eight hundred people
on four continents at a cost of over $200 million. The world of the
game is vast. Working through all the story lines would require 1,600
hours of play. Spending that much money to create a game is risky, but
there’s the  potential for  a  big  payoff. Grand Theft Auto, one of the most
successful video game series, had sales of $1 billion in just three days for
its  fifth-generation release. Americans spend more than $20  billion per 
year on video games; they spent only half that much on movie tickets
in 2016, the biggest U.S. box office year in history.

DOPAMINE VERSUS DOPAMINE

It’s natural to confuse wanting and liking. It seems obvious that we
would want the things that we will like having. That’s how it would
work if we were rational creatures, and despite all evidence to the con-
trary, we persist in thinking that we are rational creatures. But we’re not.
Frequently we want things that we don’t like. Our desires can lead us
toward things that may destroy our lives, such as drugs, gambling, and
other out-of-control behaviors.
The dopamine desire circuit is powerful. It focuses attention, moti-
vates, and  thrills. It  has  a  profound influence over  the  choices we  make. 
Yet it isn’t all-powerful. Addicts get clean. Dieters lose weight. Some-
times we  switch off  the  TV,  get  off  the  couch, and  go  for  a  run.  What 
kind of circuit in the brain is powerful enough to oppose dopamine?
Dopamine is. Dopamine opposing dopamine. The circuit that opposes
the desire circuit might be called the dopamine control circuit.
You may recall that in many situations, future-focused dopamine
opposes the activity of the H&N circuits and vice versa. If you’re think-
ing about where to go for dinner, you’re probably not appreciating the
taste, smell, and texture of the sandwich you’re eating for lunch. But