The Pleasure Center: Trust Your Animal Instincts PDF
Preview The Pleasure Center: Trust Your Animal Instincts
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 Oxford University Press Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offi ces in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Th ailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2009 by Morten L. Kringelbach Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. 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 This page intentionally left blank THE PLEASURE CENTER
Description:The list of books you might like
