How Information is Like Snacks, Money, and Drugs To Your Brain

A new study by researchers at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business has found that information acts on the brain’s dopamine-producing reward system in the same way as money or food. From a report: “To the brain, information is its own reward, above and beyond whether it’s useful,” says Assoc. Prof. Ming Hsu, a neuroeconomist. “And just as our brains like…

WHO Officially Classifies ‘Gaming Disorder’ As An Illness

Saturday the World Health Organization officially adopted the latest update to its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) — and added “gaming disorder” to its list of modern diseases. It’s in a list of harmful behaviors which also includes too much use of “the internet, computers, smartphones.” Despite opposition from trade groups, which reportedly pointed to contradictory research on the subject and…

The myth of rational thinking

Source: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/25/18291925/human-rationality-science-justin-smith…

For the first time, the feds criminally charged a pharma distributor for the opioid epidemic

Source: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/23/18512781/rochester-drug-cooperative-opioid-epidemic-drug-trafficking…

Millions of Rehab Records Exposed on Unsecured Database

Records for potentially tens of thousands of patients seeking treatment at several addiction rehabilitation centers were exposed in an unsecured online database, an independent researcher revealed Friday. From a report: The 4.91 million documents included patients’ names, as well as details of the treatments they received, according to Justin Paine, the researcher. Each patient had multiple records in the database, and…

Why Juul and Republican Lawmakers Want To Raise the Minimum Vaping Age To 21

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced a new bill today that would block all tobacco and vape purchases for Americans under 21 years old, citing widespread public health risks. Surprisingly, vaping companies don’t appear to be too concerned, as Juul’s CEO Kevin Burns issued this statement supporting the measure: “JUUL Labs is committed to eliminating combustible cigarettes, the number one cause…