Pleasure is Not Happiness

I am excited to share an amazing book that will blow your mind – “The Hacking of the American Mind” by Robert Lustig, M.D.

The gist of it is that we get Pleasure and Happiness all mixed up, and we are being constantly manipulated by the Food & Drug Industry.

Pleasure is not Happiness.

We think we are looking for Happiness, only it’s Pleasure we are after, in the form of our incessant Internet connection, drugs (cannabis to relieve our anxiety, opiates to relieve our pain) or sugary drinks, rich smoothies or mind altering deserts and chocolate to relieve our Stress.

It’s fueled and manipulated by Big Tech that know we are hungry to have the latest car, iPhone, toy or gadget. They know our addiction to the The Internet and it’s promise of  immediate connection and our search for Connection and Love that gets reduced to hookups and casual sex.

All of these reward seeking behaviors are fueled by Dopamine; part of the Reward Center in our brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that facilitates communication between nerve cells in the Nervous System.

Mostly we are manipulated by the Food Industry in the form of the white powder that is more lethal than Cocaine – Sugar. Sugar, sugar, sugar everywhere. Sugar in the form of processed food, chemicals and additives; breakfast cereals, potato chips, bakery items and bread for our sandwiches;  sugar added to our meats, condiments, sauces and salad dressings; without our knowledge.

Sugar that drives our cravings and addictions, so that we think we are hungry when we’re really not; and keeps us coming back for more and more comfort.

Only for us to create more belly fat, Inflammation and comorbitites in the form of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, pulmonary obstruction and Cancer.

This is very different from Contentment,  which is largely self generated.  And fuels Serotonin, part of the Contentment pathway in our brain (and very different from it’s manipulation by the Pharmaceutical Industry and its ever constant flow of drug commercials).

Contentment is fueled by the 4 C’s.

1) Connection: Religion, Social Support and Conversation,

2) Contribution: Self-worth, Altruism, Volunteerism and Philanthropy.

3) Coping Skills:  Which are enhanced by getting enough and quality sleep, mindfulness and exercise.

4) Cooking Real Food:  For our ourselves, family and friends.