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• 16 Dec 09
  

  Rusty Pup

  It is something we seem hard-wired to do, says Dr. Biederman. When you find new information, you get an opioid hit, and we are junkies for those. You might call us 'infovores.' "

  psychology brain internet science

• 22 Feb 09
  

  Andrew C

  culture technology

• 05 Nov 08
  

  pattyok

  culture web usability

• 02 Apr 08
  

  FruFru FourOne

  2008 article articles blogs brain cats cloud culture data evolution feeds funny ideas information intelligence interesting Internet knowledge learning marketing media mind psychology reading Reference research society study technology theory time to_read

• 23 Mar 08
  

  Piers Young

  coming across what Dr. Biederman calls new and richly interpretable information triggers a chemical reaction that makes us feel good, which in turn causes us to seek out even more of it. The reverse is true as well...

  addiction information brains interest research

• 21 Mar 08
  

  Joe Murphy

  Online - General

  • What is it about a Web site that might make it literally irresistible? Clues are offered by research conducted by Irving Biederman, a neuroscientist at the University of Southern California, who is interested in the evolutionary and biological basis of the human need for information.
• 20 Mar 08
  

  jim callender

  wsj data web

• 18 Mar 08
  

  Susan Ettenheim

  Why We're Powerless
  To Resist Grazing
  On Endless Web Data

  information

• 17 Mar 08
  

  Christian Bering

  evolution culture internet interesting psychology science technology wsj

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  muhk

  culture internet psychology

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  bartb

  reference

• 16 Mar 08
  

  Julio B
• 15 Mar 08
  

  evolutionarydesign infomanagement

  • In other words, coming across what Dr. Biederman calls new and richly interpretable information triggers a chemical reaction that makes us feel good, which in turn causes us to seek out even more of it. The reverse is true as well: We want to avoid not getting those hits because, for one, we are so averse to boredom.

     

    It is something we seem hard-wired to do, says Dr. Biederman. When you find new information, you get an opioid hit, and we are junkies for those. You might call us 'infovores.' "

     

    For most of human history, there was little chance of overdosing on information, because any one day in the Olduvai Gorge was a lot like any other. Today, though, we can find in the course of a few hours online more information than our ancient ancestors could in their whole lives.

     

    Just like the laser and the cat, technology is playing a trick on us. We are programmed for scarcity and can't dial back when something is abundant.

     

    The same happens with food: Because at one time we never knew when the next saber-toothed tiger might come along for food, it made sense to pack on the calories whenever we chanced upon them. That's not much help in today's world of snack aisles and super sizes.
• 14 Mar 08
  

  Jon Gabriel

  Data Mining
  
  

  2008 addiction articles evolution neuroscience psychology technology WSJ

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  Jon Aston

  technology mind web interesting psychology internet to_read

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  irwinchen

  thenewreader reading blogs commentsphere comments

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  J H

  interesting

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  adkittur

  articles

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