Why are humans so prone to addiction?

Question

Were we intelligently designed this way? What evolutionary purpose could addiction have?

Not just drugs--I mean, we get addicted to food, TV, ideas--pretty much everything

Answer 1

It is obvious that genes for addiction would not be directly selected. Since evolution theory claims that every physical and behavioral trait is a direct or side effect of selection, then the capacity to be addicted to drugs must be a side effect of something that was selected.

A number of writers including Keith Henson have suggested that the capacity to be addicted to drugs is a side effect of social attention rewards. It is easy to understand how sensitivity to social rewards would evolve in social primates. For example, Jane Goodall's observation that chimpanzees who hunt get additional mating opportunities. The proposed evolved mechanism for social rewards is that attention causes the release of endorphins and dopamine into the brain's reward circuits.

It seems that addictive drugs activate brain reward circuits that are normally activated by attention, without the need to kill a large, dangerous animal and drag it back to camp (or modern equivalents).




Drugs of abuse take over the neurological circuitry involved in motivation and reward. This leads to aberrant learning Because of this, drug-associated cues can trigger a desire to use, as well as unconscious or compulsive drug-seeking behavior, with the sense that voluntary control over drug use is lost

Answer 2

Not everything about Humans is logical or serves a purpose. Some things are accidental, not part of some "grand scheme".

For example, scientists recently discovered that certain people crave chocolate because a certain bacteria in their intestines thrives on it. If that bacteria had not gotten into their system, they would not be so drawn to chocolate.

Some things I believe are natural mistakes. Humans aren't like some perfect machine. The fact that we age is just evidence of the body creating new cells, but along the way the new cells are increasingly flawed.

Some addictions could not be anticipated by some intelligent design. Who could have imagined "designer drugs" even 1000 years ago? Who could have conceived of drugs so addictive that all other considerations become irrelevant to the user?

Answer 3

Because of lack of wisdom.
We are definitely not designed this way but due to our ignorance we fall into addition.
It is not so much about what evolutionary purpose could addiction have but how do we look at the purpose of our live.

Answer 4

Nothing, really. It's just natural to want whatever pleases you the most. It's not an evolutionary advantage or disadvantage. It's just something that occurs in nature throughout all species. Pleasure and greed are the cornerstones of human nature.

Answer 5

We are consumers of all things by our nature. Yet nothing of the world will bring lasting joy or happiness/ So we find an item and set our guidance system off of this item. When it begins to fall short of making us happy we turn up the consuming of this item until moderation is lost. If a person never knows the one thing that will satisfy them in good days and bad days then they will search and search with no hope. Jesus Christ is the one piece to the heart puzzle that will allow man's heart to be filled. It also takes work to keep Jesus first in your life.

Answer 6

There is an addiction gene, closely associated with creativity. Interesting that you ask this, since Newswise just posted a story on an genetic model of fruit flies using a similar gene- some became alcoholics.

The study was published by N.C. State.

Answer 7

If you define a wide range of behaviours as 'addiction' then of course it will appear as if humans are prone to addiction.

Answer 8

Evolutionary? What a load of garbage.
Not all humans are prone to addiction it varies by the person!

Answer 9

15% of the population is prone to addiction they can become easliy addicted it's a gene thing.

Answer 10

Religion can be extremely addictive!