Marshall Poe
Marshall Poe
David Courtwright, "The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business" (Harvard UP, 2019)
David Courtwright, "The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business" (Harvard UP, 2019)
David Courtwright, "The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business" (Harvard UP, 2019)
Friday 10th May 2019
Historian David Courtwright reveals how businesses profit from addiction in 'The Age of Addiction' on New Books in Drugs, Addiction and Recovery.
44 minutes
Informative
Thought-provoking
Raw
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Motivational
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Marshall Poe
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Understanding Addiction & Recovery
Navigating Alcohol Dependency
Navigating Intimate Relationships
Family Recovery from Addiction
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Get the buttons here!The Age of Addiction: David Courtwright on the Business of Bad Habits
Well, limbic capitalism is my shorthand for how global industries, often with the help of complicit governments and criminal organizations, have encouraged excessive consumption and addiction... addiction is a form of pathological learning, and this is the story of how entrepreneurs figured out how to design pathological learning.
Have you ever wondered why it's so easy to get hooked on things like video games, junk food, or even social media? In this episode of 'New Books in Drugs, Addiction and Recovery', historian David Courtwright joins host Marshall Poe to shed light on his eye-opening book, 'The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business'.
Courtwright takes us on a journey through the global landscape of pleasure and vice, revealing how businesses have turned our brain chemistry into big profits. He introduces the concept of 'limbic capitalism', where companies compete to hijack the brain pathways that govern our emotions and motivations. But it's not just about businesses—Courtwright also dives into the roles of governments and criminal organizations in promoting excessive consumption and addiction.
From the addictive nature of digital distractions to the troubling commodification of vice, this conversation is as engaging as it is unsettling. Courtwright doesn't just highlight problems; he also offers thought-provoking solutions, like discouraging the commercialization of addictive substances and using public ridicule to fight back against limbic capitalism. Whether you're curious about the science behind addiction or concerned about its societal impact, this episode promises to make you rethink your own habits and the world around you.