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Pascal would also tell us that the stakes are high, quite high. “The only thing which consoles us for our miseries is diversion, and yet this is the greatest of our miseries,” he writes. “For it is this which principally hinders us from reflecting upon ourselves, and which makes us insensibly ruin ourselves. Without this we should be in a state of weariness, and this weariness would spur us to seek a more solid means of escaping from it. But diversion amuses us, and leads us unconsciously to death.”
Desire, Dopamine, and the Internet
The Convivial Society
When you run or do other physical activities, your body produces more of them.
Areas of the brain that regulate the stress response, including the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, are rich in receptors for endocannabinoids.
So when endocannabinoid molecules lock into these receptors, your stress levels go down. They also tend to decrease pain, improve mood, and set off positive neurotransmitters like dopamine and endorphins, further fueling that feeling of euphoria and optimism.
Do You Care About Your Future Self?
Charlotte Grysolle
Now she sees a forest, spreading across these mountains since before humans left Africa, giving way to second homes. She sees it in one great glimpse of flashing gold: trees and humans, at war over the land and water and atmosphere. And she can hear, louder than the quaking leaves, which side will lose by winning.
The Overstory
Richard Powers
...catch up on these, and many more highlights
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