Feels so good by David Linden (MSF event)

Whether eating, taking drugs or drinking, engaging in sex, gambling, exercising, or doing good deeds, the pursuit of pleasure is a central drive of the human animal. In this lecture Johns Hopkins neuroscientist David Linden explains how recent research has enabled us to understand how pleasure affects us at the most fundamental level: in a section of the brain called the medial forebrain pleasure circuit, where pleasurable experiences are registered. As he did in his award-winning book, The Accidental Mind, Linden combines cutting-edge science with entertaining anecdotes to illuminate the source of the behaviors that can lead us to ecstasy but can easily become compulsive. Why are drugs like nicotine and heroin addictive, while LSD is not? Why has the search for safe appetite suppressants been such a disappointment? Why is new love really like a drug? The Compass of Pleasure concludes with a provocative consideration of pleasure in the not-too-distant future, when it may be possible to activate our pleasure circuits at will and in entirely novel patterns and combinations.

David J. Linden,Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His laboratory has worked for many years on the cellular substrates of memory storage in the brain and a few other topics. He has a longstanding interest in scientific communication and serves as the Chief Editor of the Journal of Neurophysiology. He previous book is The Accidental Mind (Harvard/Belknap, 2007).

5:30 Reception

6:30 Lecture

7:30 Q&A

Students/Senior/Military w/ID: $5.00 General Admission: $15.00 Mind Science Foundation members: FREE It's highly recommended to join MSF due to it's high quality lectures and supporting mind science research in general.