People Crave It

Interesting piece in the UNLINKABLE NEW YORK TIMES today. "Hijacking The Brain Circuits With a Nickel Slot Machine" by Sandra Blakeslee, under the fold on the Science Times section.

Check out this quote: "Several studies were published last year looking at monetary rewards and dopamine. Money is abstract, but to the brain it looks like cocaine, food, sex or anything a person expects is rewarding, said Dr. Hans Breiter, a neuroscientist at Harvard. People crave it."

I can see the cages of Harvardian rats, strewn with overdue American Express bills and ATM receipts.