Happy pills

Why are there self-pitying incidents while many still try to live despite adversity? The answer is also the motivation for neuroscientists to come to the idea of ​​synthetic medicine to create happiness.

Recent archaeological sites show that, from the Stone Age, our ancestors knew how to create alcoholic drinks to get the feeling of "floating on the cloud nine". Currently, only a single brand-name medicine can still give you a sense of euphoria. And, neuroscientists are also beginning to control the sense of happiness from the brain .

Experiment to find happiness

Experts Peter Milner and James Olds experiment to make mice happy (Photo: bbc)

In 1954, scientists Peter Milner and James Olds conducted some basic experiments on rodents. They implanted electrodes in the lab rat's brain and discovered that when activated by small electrical impulses, the animal showed excitement and delight; This feeling disappears when the current is interrupted. They also found that when taking advantage of this measure, it is possible to force animals to perform complex and difficult tasks that it normally cannot do, especially to generate electrical impulses with repetitive intensity. 2,000 times per hour to lose the appetite . And, you two have also found the area of ​​the brain responsible for this feeling.

In the late 1960s, Robert Heath, a psychologist at Tulane University (New Orleans, USA), applied a similar activation method to humans.

In recent years, it has been these experiments that have brought neurologists into the same treatment to help Parkinson's patients overcome their paralysis, especially to prevent chronic pain in Elderly.

Happy future medicine

From this unexpected result, there are suggestions for similar therapy for happy doses in the future. However, according to neuroscientist Morten Kringelbach at Oxford University, the road ahead is still quite long.

Future happy dose (Photo: bbc)

Still according to Dr. Kringelbach, although science has now been able to create a certain sense of happiness or satisfaction for humans, the priority now is mainly to reduce pain and affection. Long-term depression in depressed patients.

Should I?

According to a recent survey in the UK about whether to choose a synthetic happy pill, most respondents said they would use it without side effects, while up to 3/4 showed careful.

Meanwhile, veteran psychologist Ed Diener once again protested the idea of ​​artificial happiness. 'None of us want to' isolate 'happiness, but it will definitely be better when we have our own emotional function, we will react when the bad thing happens and rejoice at the good that comes. . ' - he said. Sharing the same opinion is the opinion of Professor Paul Salovskis, clinical psychologist at King's College London. He said that a kind of happy brand medicine can be a solution . unhappiness when being abused, such as cosmetic plastic surgery does not always make you beautiful