Neophilia is addictive

[andrewducker]

Two recent articles on learning and newness have caught my attention. Here is a piece linking neophilia (liking newness) to monoamine oxidase (which already has links to serotonin and the like), while this article talks about how the "click" of comprehension we have when we understand something is associated with the release of opiates.

And there's something there that's reminiscient of the craving I have for finding new things and fitting them into my existing patterns on thought, looking for the next new thing to give me that feeling of sudden understanding. And why I get sucked into things just one step beyond what I understand, crawling around the edges of my jigsaw, looking for the next piece that fits - never going so far that I have pieces that I can't fit in, but never happy with things I already know.

Comments

[communicator.livejournal.com]

I agree.

I think people's favourite film moments are often clicks of comprehension, and the more elaborate the set up, the louder the click, the greater the pleasure (for instance: who is Kayser Soze)

Also, I think the pleasure of humour is the pleasure of your mind suddenly clicking to a new track, you suddenly see the situation in a new way, for instance an ambiguous phrase clicks into a new meaning ('a woman walked into a bar and asked for a double-entendre, so the barman gave her one') and that's pleasurable.

Unless You're An Imperial Roman

[opusfluke.livejournal.com]

Rome was notorious for hating innoovation as it threatened the status quo (pardon the pun). That and the fact they probably had enough paperwork to deal with without junk mail.

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

Or "I see dead people"