Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id VAA00962 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Sun, 17 Feb 2002 21:52:16 GMT Message-ID: <001501c1b7ea$0f75e760$12afeb3e@default> From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be> To: <kennethvanoost@myrealbox.com> Subject: Fw: draft abstract Sex, Drugs and Cults Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2002 20:33:24 +0100 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Philip Jonkers <philipjonkers@prodigy.net>
>
> > > That religion and cults can be as addictive as drugs I sussed last
year
> > > after reading chapter 14 of the Meme-Machine. It was Marx who said
> that religion is opium for the people'. Last year I posted an hypothesis
on
> > this list stating that cultural behavior (processing memes) has to be
> rewarded by the brain because it originally chances of survival.
> Consequently culture actually evolves actually through the grace of our
> spoiled reward-centers (spoiled because they have to reward biological
> activity (sex, feeding, fleeing etc.) as well as cultural).
> > > A downside of having such an active reward center is that it makes us
> > > prone to develop addictive behavior, be it sex, drugs, alcohol,
> gambling,
> > > eating, not eating (boulimia, anorexia).
> >
> > I would like to add that every activity that is rewarded can be
addictive.
> > Attention (from cults) is particularly rewarding as it reinforces the
> social
> > status as you say. Therefore attention is particularly addictive.
>
> Hi Philip,
>
> I don 't know, this sounds somewhat strange to me.
> I got a lot attention in doing my work from my boss(es) and colleagues
> and that due that I get the work done in a reasonable time ( others don 't
> like the stress and don 't like working together with allochtones) but the
> only reward I get is my money on the end of the month.
> It satisfies me of course, I like what I do, but I ain 't get any
> biological/
> natural or sexual reward out it.
> I don 't see that the surrounding culture is evolving through the grace of
> my than spoiled- reward centers...
>
> I work together with a lot of young woman, and I suppose some would
> have a crush on me ( I don 't know), I fool around ( not in the sexual
> sense of the word), I tease and I play, but I never thought of this being
> a biological/ sexual benefit... there is no reward... there is, I get the
> work
> easily done in such a way, but IMO there is no addiction, no development
> of any addictive behavior either. I am like I am and in being so I get
work
> done where others fail, but this is not paticularly addictive, not to me
> anyway. I don 't feel that my social status is being reinforced, I earn
> enough money to live a good life, but I don 't show it....
>
> There is of course some economical pressure, efficiency and production
> rates has to be attent to, most of the time I get them, but there also,
> there
> is no sexual/ biological/ natural benifit...
> Maybe I am just stupid....financial rewards can be quite addictive I
agree,
> but to some extend there is a limit, no boss will pay you so mush that he
> will be broke at the end of the month....
>
> Regards,
>
> Kenneth
>
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