Maia Szalavitz QUOTES

21 " To his surprise, rather than reducing the odds that the rodents would press the lever, this variable reinforcement actually made them respond more. It also made them persist in trying for far longer periods of time after he’d stopped providing rewards. Later studies found that the most effective schedule of reinforcement to hook animals on a behavior pattern was the most unpredictable: if pigeons, for example, get rewarded only 50% of the time for doing a task (basically, completely randomly), they will perform the required behavior more frequently and will be more resistant to changing it than if they are always rewarded or are rewarded in a more predictable way. Humans behave quite similarly. "

― Maia Szalavitz , Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction

23 " Dependence” itself is pathologized, when, as we’ve seen, dependence isn’t the real problem in addiction: compulsive and destructive behavior is. (And indeed, the DSM-5, published in 2013, recognizes this, replacing “dependence” with “moderate to severe substance use disorder.”) "

― Maia Szalavitz , Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction

25 " Stanton Peele and Archie Brodsky published the groundbreaking Love and Addiction "

― Maia Szalavitz , Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction

27 " As noted earlier, having a highly affectionate and responsive mother turns on different suites of genes, compared to being raised indifferently. Not surprisingly, neglect and trauma make social connection more difficult. These changes, too, are mediated by oxytocin, vasopressin, opioids, and dopamine. "

― Maia Szalavitz , Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction

29 " That is, love is real when it expands and enhances your life—and troubling and problematic when it contracts or impairs it. "

― Maia Szalavitz , Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction