Dopamine the Drug Changing Social Structure
Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2026 4:57 am
SELF-EVALUATING MY DOPAMINE HIGH
I consider myself one of those who has become addicted to the dopamine high that YouTube is particularly efficient at supplying. It is a real drug as surely at those we can take from the pharmacy. Our brains chemistry creates it to make us feel good, literally, and all science agrees, so it’s real. I know when I watch the end of whatever video I have chosen, I can already see four, five, or ten other choices waiting for me. If I do not see them directly, I am aware of them somewhere in my mental periphery. The awareness that there is “more” waiting for me begins to compete with what I am watching now.
The video that presently controls my attention is becoming an old choice, and I know that a new choice is only a click away. As the present video’s ability to hold my attention diminishes, the anticipation of pushing that button begins to create its own tension. My mind is already preparing itself for the next “dose.”
When I finally click on a new video, my mind is released from the old choice and begins mentally hunting for whatever I believe will provide the greatest interest. I am not simply looking for another video. I am looking for the feeling I expect the next video to give me. This may be where the process becomes most interesting.
The anticipation of the “new dose” begins before the new video even starts. The fact that something new is about to happen temporarily masks the fact that the previous choice did not quite deliver what I expected. The new possibility carries an allure that the old possibility no longer has.
For a brief period, the anticipation itself becomes the high. My mind scans the seemingly endless supply of choices. The possibilities are almost unlimited, and that abundance becomes part of the attraction. But the moment I finally make my choice, something changed. The highest point of anticipation has already passed.
I begin watching the new video, and the satisfaction that came with choosing it slowly begins to weaken. I am now experiencing the same process all over again. Somewhere in my awareness is the knowledge that another “new shot” is waiting for me, and that all it requires is another click.
The real addiction is not to any particular subject on video at all. It is the anticipation of the next one. The next choice is always capable of being better than the present choice, and that possibility is enough to keep the process moving. Surprisingly, where did I learn that? YouTube of course!
I consider myself one of those who has become addicted to the dopamine high that YouTube is particularly efficient at supplying. It is a real drug as surely at those we can take from the pharmacy. Our brains chemistry creates it to make us feel good, literally, and all science agrees, so it’s real. I know when I watch the end of whatever video I have chosen, I can already see four, five, or ten other choices waiting for me. If I do not see them directly, I am aware of them somewhere in my mental periphery. The awareness that there is “more” waiting for me begins to compete with what I am watching now.
The video that presently controls my attention is becoming an old choice, and I know that a new choice is only a click away. As the present video’s ability to hold my attention diminishes, the anticipation of pushing that button begins to create its own tension. My mind is already preparing itself for the next “dose.”
When I finally click on a new video, my mind is released from the old choice and begins mentally hunting for whatever I believe will provide the greatest interest. I am not simply looking for another video. I am looking for the feeling I expect the next video to give me. This may be where the process becomes most interesting.
The anticipation of the “new dose” begins before the new video even starts. The fact that something new is about to happen temporarily masks the fact that the previous choice did not quite deliver what I expected. The new possibility carries an allure that the old possibility no longer has.
For a brief period, the anticipation itself becomes the high. My mind scans the seemingly endless supply of choices. The possibilities are almost unlimited, and that abundance becomes part of the attraction. But the moment I finally make my choice, something changed. The highest point of anticipation has already passed.
I begin watching the new video, and the satisfaction that came with choosing it slowly begins to weaken. I am now experiencing the same process all over again. Somewhere in my awareness is the knowledge that another “new shot” is waiting for me, and that all it requires is another click.
The real addiction is not to any particular subject on video at all. It is the anticipation of the next one. The next choice is always capable of being better than the present choice, and that possibility is enough to keep the process moving. Surprisingly, where did I learn that? YouTube of course!