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watch baby-panda videos with a dead-
line looming”—while a key feature of
our older brain involves the “reward-
based learning” system, centered in the
basal ganglia. “This area simply makes
us want to do more of the things that
feel good and less of the things that feel
bad,” Dr. Brewer explains. A few million years later, the possibil-
In caveman days, this helped us sur- ity of famine is less of a daily issue for
vive: Because life was precarious and most of us, “but plenty of other things
food was scarce, when we spotted fruit, came into existence with the ability to
seeds, or grass, our brains shouted, make us feel bad,” says Dr. Brewer—
“Eat that!” We ate the berries, they work drama, breakups, the perfect
tasted good, and that in turn prompted Facebook lives of others. “These are
our brains to release a chemical called new problems, but our primitive brain
dopamine, which cemented this smart wants to use the same old program-
strategy in place. In behavioral neuro- ming, so it sends the message, ‘You’re
science terms, this is called a habit not feeling great. Try doing something
loop, a three-part system composed of that will trigger dopamine and maybe
a trigger (in this case, a food sighting), you’ll feel better.’ ”
a behavior (eating the food), and a And many of these things are not
reward (contentment and survival). great for us. Sugary foods are one of the
F E B RUARY 2020 • PREVENTION.COM 37
