Nice article and corresponds with much of what we discussed. Dopamine is about risk taking, novelty, deciding what to pay attention to, and can often be cued by whatever environmental stimuli are associated with basic rewards such as food and sex. The human animal evolved to seek out patterns in the environment that predicted rewards, hence dopamine can be associated with puzzle solving itself.

The mesolimbic reward system, and its messenger dopamine, are about 'wanting' not 'having'. That in one simple nutshell encapsulates the human dilemma. We perpetually want more. This much is in the genes. How we define more is cultural, both in the options our institutions and governments give, and allow.

That is really interesting. Not least because it explains why some people are so much more vulnerable to addiction than others.

FWIW, I have never found drugs appealing. I don't even drink; I've tried it, but I just don't see the appeal. And, like the researcher in the article, I generally don't want more. I'd go so far as to say I want less. Less stimulation, that is - I find real life plenty stimulating, maybe over-stimulating. (I was one of those kids who cried when a stranger came to the house.)