Most of us have probably met someone who claims to have an ‘addictive personality’. Admittedly, I have always treated these declarations with suspicion. From my experience, it’s the people who get hooked to drugs the easiest that are the ones to jump on the chance to take them. A recent study I came across suggests that I might be on to something.
The study (published in this month’s Nature Neuroscience journal) looked at brain imaging scans of people diagnosed with the disorder who were given a low oral dose of amphetamine. The results showed that dopamine levels (a brain chemical associated with reward and motivation) were up to four times as high in these people than in the rest of the population. Apparently, this heighted response to an anticipated reward is a predictor of potential substance abuse.
This finding seems to support the idea that addictive personality types exists. However, the researchers list addictive personality disorder under the umbrella term of ‘psychopathy’. Symptoms include a combination of superficial charm, manipulative and antisocial behaviour, sensation-seeking and impulsivity, blunted empathy, punishment sensitivity, and shallow emotional experiences. A brief scan of the literature on addictive personality disorder seems to support these symptoms.
So, unless people who claim to have an addictive personality display symptoms of psychopathy, they have the same biological tendency towards addiction as the rest of us. Does this seem right to you?
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