Addiction, neurologists say, changes the physical shape of our brains. Each time old Z finds another text message, another headline, another update, my brain injects a little dopamine into a reward pathway.
“You’ve got mail!” squeals the computer and—whoosh!—here comes a shot of dopamine.
I feel stronger, says Z.
Five minutes pass, the dopamine fades.
I’m weak, hisses Z. I’m hungry. I need to see a picture of Joe Biden.
Anthony Doerr in Am I Still Here? Looking for validation in a wired world in the January | February issue of Orion Magazine
