388. The Pleasure Center In The Brain - 1

The Pleasure Center In The Brain - 1

After writing 387 blog entries, I just got aware, that I have omitted to ever consider the function of the pleasure center in the brain.    I mentioned the importance of subjective and emotional wellbeing, looking at this from the perspective of an Epicurean focusing on the avoidance of harm and unpleasant experiences.   

But in my previous explanations of the behavior of others and especially of all those predators and jerks, who make life miserable for their victims, I did omit the urge to stimulate the pleasure center as an important factor.      

The following are mainly speculations, because I did not find enough information on the web.  

Behavior motivated to have an impact upon the subjective wellbeing is determined by several forces and factors:

1. Dishomeostasis causes behavior to reduce any kind of unpleasant, painful, discomfortable sensation and feeling.
   1.1.  Dishomeostasis of survival needs.
   1.2.  Dishomeostasis of non-vital instincts.
   1.3.  Dishomeostasis due to an addiction.
   1.4.  Emotional dishomeostasis due to inappropriate and inadequate treatment.
   
2. Behavior stimulating the pleasure center, which it is sensitive and perceptive to this specific stimulation. 
   2,1.  Physical stimulation of the pleasure center learned by reward and reinforcement.
   2.2.  Physical stimulation of the pleasure center as a side effect or consequence of restoring homeostasis.
   2.3. Emotional and intellectual, but non-material and non-physical stimulation of the pleasure center learned by reward and reinforcement.

The basic survival needs of air, water, food when really needed, have probably the same impact upon everybody's behavior.  

But the other forces are either directly innate or acquired as a result of the innate specific responsiveness of the pleasure center.   They vary widely in their strength between individuals.  Some of these forces can be very strong in one individual and absent or very weak in another.   

Depending on the dominant urge and innate determination, there are three main groups:

1. Hedonists
   Hedonists' pleasure center is highly and intensely responsive to all physical stimulation.   Eating, sexuality, alcohol and drugs are a few examples of what is stimulation for them.   They are strongly effected by physical dishomeostasis of any kind.
2. Epicureans
   Their responsiveness to physical stimulation is low, but they are very responsive to non-physical, but emotional and intellectual stimulation of the pleasure center.   They experience bliss, elation, joy, delight from good books, museums, theater plays, music, and happiness from the profound communication with their bonded beloved partner.    They experience emotional dishomeostasis by depreciation, disrespect, humiliation.
3. Breeders
   Breeders are mainly driven by dishomeostasis of the procreation instincts and of the subsequent secondary hierarchy instinct.   They are very busy raising their offspring, fighting for power and a high position on a hierarchy, where they greedily compete to amass resources for all future bearer of their genes.  
   Breeders are motivated to make sacrifices to improve life of their ingroup or society.  They superficially appear to be altruistic, but in reality they are driven only by improving the environment for the benefit of the future bearer of their genes.    

Sometimes different urges felt simultaneously would require contradictory behavior.    If both urges are equally strong, people experience inner conflicts.  If there is a major urge, it sometimes compensates at least temporarily for the denial of the lesser urges, which would lead to very different behavior.   

1. Hedonists soothe emotional discomfort by eating or getting drunk.
2. Epicureans can forget and be oblivious of physical discomfort, when they are absorbed by some intellectually fascinating activity.
3. Breeders have neither time nor energy to stimulate their pleasure center, so instead they get emotionally addicted to the exhausting repetition of their recurrent need of homeostasis, which is only temporarily restored by doing everything that they consider as their duty to their offspring. 

While the predominance of each force is hard wired in the subconscious brain, the conscious representation leads to different attitudes or life philosophies.   

1. Hedonists are at risk of being reproached for being primitive animals.   As a group, they can reinforce each other in accepting their pleasure seeking as a legitimate way of life and identify with the philosophy of hedonism.
2. People do not decide to change their way of life and source of wellbeing as a result of reading Epicure's philosophy.   People, who are innate Epicureans read about Epicure and recognize themselves.
3. Breeders are often gullible to religious delusions, that their earthly sacrifices will be compensated in the afterlife.    Religion gives them a justification for their irrational urge to make sacrifices for their genes.    The emphasis of their religion on the importance of procreation attracts them to this religion.