Dr. Alok Kanojia

So if you and I get into a fistfight, let's say you break a bone and I don't. That's a win in my column. But then if I get into another fistfight and I break a bone, that's not like even Steven. That's like if breaking a bone in the way that we evolved is like a lethal injury. So food poisoning is lethal. Not anymore, but in the way that we evolved, food poisoning was lethal, potentially.

So if you and I get into a fistfight, let's say you break a bone and I don't. That's a win in my column. But then if I get into another fistfight and I break a bone, that's not like even Steven. That's like if breaking a bone in the way that we evolved is like a lethal injury. So food poisoning is lethal. Not anymore, but in the way that we evolved, food poisoning was lethal, potentially.

So if you and I get into a fistfight, let's say you break a bone and I don't. That's a win in my column. But then if I get into another fistfight and I break a bone, that's not like even Steven. That's like if breaking a bone in the way that we evolved is like a lethal injury. So food poisoning is lethal. Not anymore, but in the way that we evolved, food poisoning was lethal, potentially.

We're biased against losing things. So we have this thing called loss aversion, right? Which is if you ask someone, hey, if I give you a 50% chance to win $250 or a 100% chance to walk away with $100, which one will you pay? Yeah, I'm taking $100. You're taking $100, right? So our brain is wired that way. You're talking about the Sunday scaries or whatever. Yeah.

We're biased against losing things. So we have this thing called loss aversion, right? Which is if you ask someone, hey, if I give you a 50% chance to win $250 or a 100% chance to walk away with $100, which one will you pay? Yeah, I'm taking $100. You're taking $100, right? So our brain is wired that way. You're talking about the Sunday scaries or whatever. Yeah.

We're biased against losing things. So we have this thing called loss aversion, right? Which is if you ask someone, hey, if I give you a 50% chance to win $250 or a 100% chance to walk away with $100, which one will you pay? Yeah, I'm taking $100. You're taking $100, right? So our brain is wired that way. You're talking about the Sunday scaries or whatever. Yeah.

So our brain has a unique ability to feel future pain in the present. Tell me about it. That's the story of my life. I think a lot of people listening can relate. Right. So my favorite example is the last day of a vacation.

So our brain has a unique ability to feel future pain in the present. Tell me about it. That's the story of my life. I think a lot of people listening can relate. Right. So my favorite example is the last day of a vacation.

So our brain has a unique ability to feel future pain in the present. Tell me about it. That's the story of my life. I think a lot of people listening can relate. Right. So my favorite example is the last day of a vacation.

My favorite hobby is ruining that last day of the vacation. Technically, you're on vacation. You get a whole day to enjoy yourself.

My favorite hobby is ruining that last day of the vacation. Technically, you're on vacation. You get a whole day to enjoy yourself.

My favorite hobby is ruining that last day of the vacation. Technically, you're on vacation. You get a whole day to enjoy yourself.

But that's not what you're doing. No. You're thinking about going back. And the interesting thing is that we know that hypotheticals are capable of activating our amygdala, which is our fear center. Right. So a hypothetical will make us feel fear in the present. It's not a hypothetical fear. It's like we feel the pain in the moment. Yeah. And that's the way that our brain works.

But that's not what you're doing. No. You're thinking about going back. And the interesting thing is that we know that hypotheticals are capable of activating our amygdala, which is our fear center. Right. So a hypothetical will make us feel fear in the present. It's not a hypothetical fear. It's like we feel the pain in the moment. Yeah. And that's the way that our brain works.

But that's not what you're doing. No. You're thinking about going back. And the interesting thing is that we know that hypotheticals are capable of activating our amygdala, which is our fear center. Right. So a hypothetical will make us feel fear in the present. It's not a hypothetical fear. It's like we feel the pain in the moment. Yeah. And that's the way that our brain works.

But we cannot feel a hypothetical pleasure in the moment. We can have some degree of anticipation. Yeah. You can be paranoid about a car crash, but you can't imagine going to the movies and then get a rush of dopamine. It doesn't work like that. You actually have to go to the movies.

But we cannot feel a hypothetical pleasure in the moment. We can have some degree of anticipation. Yeah. You can be paranoid about a car crash, but you can't imagine going to the movies and then get a rush of dopamine. It doesn't work like that. You actually have to go to the movies.

But we cannot feel a hypothetical pleasure in the moment. We can have some degree of anticipation. Yeah. You can be paranoid about a car crash, but you can't imagine going to the movies and then get a rush of dopamine. It doesn't work like that. You actually have to go to the movies.

It's wild, right? So there's a fundamental imbalance in the brain. So our nucleus accumbens, our positive emotions cannot be activated by hypotheticals, whereas our negative emotions can be. We get robbed. This is what's really important about trauma is when we have a negative experience, our brain, for survival reasons, warns us against that experience.

It's wild, right? So there's a fundamental imbalance in the brain. So our nucleus accumbens, our positive emotions cannot be activated by hypotheticals, whereas our negative emotions can be. We get robbed. This is what's really important about trauma is when we have a negative experience, our brain, for survival reasons, warns us against that experience.