Amygdala Hijack - The hijacking of our psyche through focus on issues, concerns, and the feelings evoked. Leading to long term behavioral changes at both the individual (inner quadrants) to mass societal Dopamine Desynthesization and addiction for more and more.
I find this a fascinating concept that Critical Theory practitioners living in what I might call the “Issue Domains”, “World of Problems”, “Domain of what’s Broken” - main stream media (views, clicks, leading to advertising revenues), Leftist demand for immediate changes at all costs (power, control of our governmental bodies), decriminalization of drugs/crimes (I feel, therefor ok to commit crimes - erosion of our secular structures), destabilization of our religions (destabilizing our peace, calming, beyond secular morality, beyond rational faith structures).
Meanwhile, disproportionately our Leftist brothers, sisters, and children are also disproportionately experiencing higher rates of anxiety, depression, and tragically suicide at increasingly younger ages.
I’ve been wondering how many of the “existential threats demanding global solutions at all costs, immediately” have played out. We can easily take a forensic look at this things. Perhaps minor example, but remember the “Disappearing Honey Bees” which will then lead to loss of fruit and vegetable crops, and collapse of society due to starvation? I “bit hard” on this “existential threat” as I love bees. That was around 2010 with massive media blitz and documentaries. And here we are in 2021 - calling the Bee Rescue Crew to take swarms out of our attics, still staring microscopically at the bees on flowers in the yard, smacking on those peaches and tomatoes from the backyard. Even the Africanized “killer bees” aren’t seemingly killing people and animals on sidewalks outside the yoga studios as predicted.
So why do we have this bifurcation in those that go through life looking for the next “existential crisis” vs those that live in perhaps a “world of opportunity and beauty”. Could it be as simple as seemingly minor predilection towards dopamine addiction have been amplified into creating our “culture war”. Is it possible that something this simple could be “root cause” of our seeming societal bifurcation?
Excerpt:
Our brains evolved this fine-tuned balance over millions of years in which pleasures were scarce and dangers ever-present. The problem today is that we no longer live in that world. Instead, we now live in a world of overwhelming abundance. The quantity, variety and potency of highly reinforcing drugs and behaviors has never been greater.