In the digital age, these techniques of delivering immediate gratification and stoking our appetites for it reach deep into the brain stem, the same neighborhood where we house the faculties of reason and critical thinking we’d like to think we apply to public issues. Dopamine is the binding agent that locks us to the consumption—it’s the little jolt of pleasure that humans associate with beneficial actions. The reward comes after each affirmation either in the form of a “like” on Facebook, a little heart on Instagram, or delivery of information that confirms our worldview when we turn to
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