User:Jwilhelms/sandbox

Everyone enjoys pleasure, it would be displeasure if it was not enjoyable. According to Kent C. Berridge and Morten L. Kringelbach in an article titled “Neuroscience of affect: Brain mechanisms of pleasure and displeasure,” pleasure and displeasure are created in the human brain from both subjective and objective structures; which are vital for a healthy wellbeing, but when in a state of dysfunction cause addiction, depression and other psychopathologies. The mechanisms for both fear, disgust and desire may be released by the same brain functions. (Berridge) The reward function is based off of learned behavior. When an event is logged as pleasurable, if the brain recognizes factors which might duplicate the event it triggers arousal, drawing the person to duplicate the event. A problem with this is that the estimation process of material objects is usually not very accurate. When the reward is less than expected, disappointment is felt, as well as incentive salience, or motivation, to gain the full reward (Berridge). On the other hand, when humans try to estimate the value of an event such as an interaction with another being, it most likely underestimates that value due to a lack of quantifiable inputs. The reward system releases more than expected which leaves the person satisfied. These are often not recognized since they do not contribute to monetary wealth. Through market analysis, researchers have pinpointed the exact motivations necessary to best influence the consumer’s behavior. For example, brand recognition is deep emotional bond which is known to have similarities of consumer and product, as a parent interacting with their child (Fürst). Putting intense attachment to objects with the way our brains function of reward works, it is easy to determine why there is a problem with overconsumption in the United States. Works Cited: Berridge, Kent C., and Morten L. Kringelbach. "“Neuroscience of Affect: Brain Mechanisms of Pleasure and Displeasure.”." Current opinion in neurobiology 23.3 (2013): 294–303. Web. 12 Oct 2015. < http://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2013.01.017>. Fürst, Andreas et al. “The Neuropeptide Oxytocin Modulates Consumer Brand Relationships.” Scientific Reports 5 (2015): 14960. PMC. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. "The Neuropeptide Oxytocin Modulates Consumer Brand Relationships." Scientific Reports (2015): 14960. Web. 11 Oct 2015. < http://doi.org/10.1038/srep14960>.

The Neurological effects of Consumer Behavior and Life Satisfaction
Neurology is an area of study which is changing rapidly due to new technologies advancing the way which brain circuitry is studied on a level not previously possible. These advancements are hel¬¬ping to find answers to the core functions behind human thoughts and emotions on a scientific level. Consumerism is a human behavior with impacts ranging from global environmental problems, to personal health and wellbeing. Consumer behavior has caused an overall dissatisfaction in human life, negative consumer behavior is compared to addiction and brand marketing; the neurological structure of the reward affect system will highlight personal satisfaction and the neurology of fulfilment in long term satisfaction; factoring into a solution for a sustainable environment conducive of happiness and satisfaction in life. Consumerism is not an exclusively negative behavior. Since we live in a capitalistic society, consumerism can be a positive influence, but society has not followed the notion of everything in moderation, and overconsumption is developing into a global threat. Consumption will exist as long as our capitalistic society exists, or until all resources have been consumed and life ends. To deter the latter, a sustainable solution must be adopted globally, taking the subjective nature of humans into account. Pamela Wilhelms, founder of the “The Soul of the Next Economy,” contributes negative consumer behaviors in the United States to the switch in mentality starting post World War II. Somehow, having as much stuff, as many homes as an individual can work for, is what makes a person prosper. This country was founded on a democracy, supporting a free market system; giving an equal chance to prosper, it is not supposed to be about who can acquire the most stuff. The American dream got hijacked and lost, emerging into a new way of life where overconsumption is the end goal, draining the planet of all its resources (Wilhelms). The first step towards sustainability is to understand why humans behave irrationally, making choices which kill the planet and creating mental health issues. To recognize consumerism as a neurological function, compulsive shopping behavior will be deconstructed to a chemical process. The same behaviors found in compulsive shopping’s neural circuitry, as in drug addiction. Also prior drug addiction was common with compulsive shoppers, acting as a substitute to drug addiction. Withdrawal, craving, and impulsive behavior also were congruent in both studies. Neurologically, elevated activity in the ventral striatum, a brain region linked with the reward system was found in both the shopper and the drug addict. The “high” may include immediate relief from anxiety, stress and depression (Brook, Chenshu and Brook ). The mechanisms of the which lead to affect-reward are based on perception, bias, and context in decisions, goal setting and so on, also known as cognitive control. Reducing that, there are two factors left; emotional which controls through mood, or emotional stimuli, and motivational manipulation, which uses reward (pleasure) and punishment. Reaching the molecular level, the reward-affect, it may be classified as hedonic impact (liking), incentive salience (wanting), and predictive associations and cognitions (learning). Hedonic impact can be measured in both conscious and unconscious events, producing a subjective emotion which is measured objectively. The brain activity hedonic impact occurs in the nucleus accumbens, is paired with opioid release, and creates pleasure. This action is notably different than incentive salience, which stimulates all locations in the ventral palladium, doing so without altering hedonic impact, and has the capability to act without prior experience of hedonic impact. Interestingly, these functions share both the pleasurable action, and its counterparts, for example liking to disliking, andwanting to repulsion. When incentive salience is triggered, it may be for a very specific reward, but is may create too much, and “spill over.” This is sometimes called “lowering of inhibitions,” which is capable of triggering relapse in addicts, from interactions with incentive salience stimuli. Another interesting phenomena is the amount of incentive salience of a reward can occur without actually liking the reward (K. C. Berridge). Putting all of this together, the impulses which are generated by cues from the incentive salience, are what distinguishes the shopper from the compulsive shopper. While the incentive salience is growing, the hedonic impact does not change. Thus, an addiction through irrational behavior is created. With the understanding of the core behaviors involved, exploitation takes place through the placement of product brands. A brand is what distinguishes a company’s products for the consumer to recognize with little effort. These cues trigger incentive salience, which is growing separate of the hedonic impact, supplying the brain with what it thinks is rational association of the brand with pleasure. When the item is acquired and the hedonic impact does not match the incentive salience, instead of releasing pleasure, the counterpart of displeasure or disappointment is released (K. C. Berridge). Further aiding in human irrationality, and coinciding with the notion of appraisal, over and underestimation. Brands are placed everywhere, ensuring that the consumer will catch the cue. This relationship which builds between the consumer and brand is shocking. Possibly known as the greatest attachment based relationship, is between a parent and child. This can be traced to the neuropeptide oxytocin. Produced in the hypothalamus, and stored into pituitary gland, it is best known for the role it plays in child birth, even oxytocin’s nomenclature is derived from Greek words meaning “quick birth.” Oxytocin has a fundamental role in socializing and bonding. A recent study highlighted the correlation between brand recognition and the oxytocin, using a parent and child as the extreme example of a social bond. Shockingly, when a consumer recognized a favorite brand, similar levels of oxytocin were released to that of a parent interacting with their child (Fürst). This level of attachment to extrinsic objects, is built by manipulation. Marketers use these careful placement of brands to persuade consumers to almost always have the incentive salience active. Consuming our thoughts with consumption. The affect-reward system is only one function of many that impact consumerism in the United States, another mindboggling irrational behavior consumer’s exhibit is known as the pain principle; when the consumer is willing to subject oneself to harm or pain in order to buy something. A collaboration of researchers from MIT, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon found that the when shoppers were shown an item they desired, followed by a high price tag, the prefrontal cortex, responsible for processing pain, started to compete with the nucleus accumbens, as mentioned earlier as the main source for pleasure. The nucleus accumbens starts the pleasure process as soon as the person can see the item, triggering the incentive salience to want the item. The significance of the pain system, is the manner which is it competing with the pleasure system to decide if the benefit (item) is worth the pain (cost). (K. C. Berridge) Another perspective comes from a link between social equality and spending. Based on the tendencies that humans have to gain a perspective on themselves through comparisons to others, trying to gain an objective judgement on themselves Testing this theory, using both conspicuous(status gain), and inconspicuous spending(status neutral), status and status neutral groups of people, as well as income level(top, middle, and bottom tiers) to find impacts on consumerism. This study found that spending was not as much linked to people from the bottom and middle tiers compensating for their lack of money, but more closely related to how the person is perceived by their peers. (Ordabayeva and Chandon) Distributing wealth to make everyone equal, would not curb spending in the status driven groups, a change would come from changing the group’s motivation. If the motivation were placed in the status of the community rather than individuals, the outcome could make a profound impact on the world. Taking a big step back, the next behavior that is not quite as modern as others, but has a major impact on the decisions which we make. It is the choice bias which is part of how we make decisions. Examination of non-human primates can help to understand how his function affects our lives. The peak-end effect of how humans recall is tied to this mechanism, which dictates that when we evaluate our past we do so on a subjective scale with things either making an impact through good or bad events. The subjective scale of recollection tends to use selective memory, which highlights the peak of an event and the ending, with no regard for any other details. The phenomena known as the endowment effect, a controversial subject defined as the loss aversion process, which gives the person the impression that something is worth more than it is, stemming from fear of losing the item; or it may rely on the capacities of the perception of the motivated sense of self. The significance of these behaviors is divulges information from processes which have not evolved as much as others, and can be attributed to many irrational behaviors. In regards to satisfaction and wealth, it is important to note that although short term increases in monetary wealth has been found ineffective at creating long term satisfaction, wealth acquired over a long period of time does lend to personal happiness and satisfaction. This study also tested the wage to amount worked ratio, finding that those who worked more were generally less happy, unless they were earning a higher wage then their peers. Reinforcing the value we put on our peers wealth. This begs that it is human nature to want to be better than your peers. (Contrary to Expectations, Life Experiences Better Use of Money than Material Items) Although the solution is already known, the pathway to the solution is still under construction. There have been a multitude of studies and research done testing the satisfaction and happiness with life in relation to the amount of possessions and money. Which find that the motivation which is placed on monetary gains is not equal to satisfaction. Backtracking to the affect-reward model and addiction, the fact that wanting can grow independently of liking proves that humans cannot be trusted to act rationally with their spending habits. There is hope, to overcome addiction of one substance it can be replaced with something else less harmful; smokers might chew gum, drug addicts may use shopping, alcoholics are known to use coffee. Consumerism is more complex then these addictions since it deals with a much larger product market which is necessary to society. There is not just one substance to target. Which means that the solution must be multifaceted. Using the model for addiction based on incentive salience and hedonic impact, a sustainable community project could fill the desire and pleasures with a project which was beneficial to the community. Since humans react so well to consuming, create a public forum, find out what the community wants, and find the passions of the community. This activity will create incentive salience, as well as social bonding to the community instead of a product. Through this process, the recognition of all members participating is important to gain a total view on the community. Maybe the community wants a place to garden, or to implement an alternative fuel. This public forum must been kept in a way that does not challenge the participants to work individually, that would create a situation similar to that of conspicuous consumption. This forum is meant to be a positive place that the citizens of the community can voice their opinions without fear of judgement, and build bonds to intrinsically valuable experiences. Leading by example should be the goal. This is where the conspicuous consumption model may be used as a tool for the purpose of getting other communities to start their own programs, giving competition between the communities, so that there is no alienation of individual persons, but the community as a whole will stand to gain the envy and accomplishment for creating something which can change the world. The aspects of this proposal are designed to have two purposes, first to act as an aid for replacing addictive behaviors associated with a positive community building activity, second when people start to see results, it will spread. Using positive affect as framework for this project, will show others that there is another way, a way that will lead to fulfillment. The neurological processes in the human brain can be of value in deciphering the causes for irrational consumer behavior, through comparison of the molecular function to drug, addiction, brand marketing, and life fulfillment, a solution of community can be utilized. The research to understand these functions better has a ways to go, but it is moving at a rapid rate towards a total view. The future will happen whether or not the world is ready for it, the quality of life is up to the people. Works Cited Berridge, Kent C. "From prediction error to incentive salience: mesolimbic computation of reward motivation." The European Journal of Neuroscience 35.7 (2012): 1124-1143`. Web. 10 Octover 2015. . Berridge, Kent C., and Morten L. Kringelbach. "“Neuroscience of Affect: Brain Mechanisms of Pleasure and Displeasure.”." Current opinion in neurobiology 23.3 (2013): 294–303. Web. 12 Oct 2015. < http://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2013.01.017>. Brook, Judith s, et al. "Compulsive Buying: Earlier Illicit Drug Use, Impulse Buying, Depression, and Adult ADHD Symptoms." Psychiatry Res 228.3 (2015): 312-317. Web. 11 october 2015. . "Contrary to Expectations, Life Experiences Better Use of Money than Material Items." Science Daily 2 April 2014. Web. 5 oct 2015. . Fürst, Andreas et al. “The Neuropeptide Oxytocin Modulates Consumer Brand Relationships.” Scientific Reports 5 (2015): 14960. PMC. Web. 11 Oct. 2015. "The Neuropeptide Oxytocin Modulates Consumer Brand Relationships." Scientific Reports (2015): 14960. Web. 11 Oct 2015. < http://doi.org/10.1038/srep14960>. Ordabayeva, Nailya and Pierre Chandon. "Getting Ahead of the Joneses:When Equality Increases Conspicuous Consumption among Bottom-Tier Consumers." Journal of Consumer Research 38 (2011): S48-S62. Print. Wilhelms, Pamela. Curator, The Soul of the Next Economy Jolene Wilhelms. 13 Oct. 2015. E-mail.