Most of us have this idea that we are whole and healthy people that do everything in moderation. However, we tend to do certain things that are so normal to our everyday lives that we don’t recognize that we’re addicted to them.
Here are 3 everyday things that we may actually be addicted to and why we can’t live without them.
1. Pop Music
In art, we always look for originality and skill. Artwork that makes us stare in wonderment at the artist’s ability to evoke such feelings within us.
So why are we so obsessed with pop music?
As most of us will admit, pop music is hardly original. Most of the top 40 songs of today pretty much sound the same. It’s also not incredibly skillful, with the repetitive beats and auto-tuned vocals.
Compared to indie music or even a Celtic orchestra, pop music doesn’t really cut it in terms of originality or skill. So why is it that Lady Gaga can sell sold out mega-concerts but most indie acts can’t fill out a bar?
The Addiction:
It’s because pop music is basically cranial crack. Scientists have actually been able to predict which songs become big sellers by hooking up kids to MRI scanners and playing previously unheard pop tunes. Songs that became future hits made the pleasure center of the brain light up.
This is because the brain gains great pleasure from predicting the melodies as you listen and anticipating the emotion associated with certain types of music. The brain experiences a thrill when it is expecting something to happen. When it actually does, a rush of dopamine comes along to give you that addictive high.
This is why pop music is addictive. The easiest way to get your dopamine fix is from tunes that are simple, predictable and repetitive.
Surprisingly, what the brain indicated to have enjoyed is not what the participants claimed they like. In the interview after the brain scan, most participants consciously went against their brainwaves to seem as if they didn’t enjoy pop music much at all.
So now you know: even when indie kids turn their noses up at pop music, their brains are secretly dancing every time Justin Bieber comes on.
2. Using Lip Balm
You may think it’s insane to be addicted to lip balm, but it CAN happen. The average person eats roughly three sticks of lip balm in their lives, and unknowingly, we love it.
The Addiction:
The thing that makes lip balm so darn addictive is that it feels good to have moisturized, pouty lips. It makes you feel like you’re doing something positive by stopping your lips from flaking.
What most of us don’t know is that lip balm actually dries out your lips. Most lip balms have Phenol as a key ingredient. Phenol actually irritates your lips more in the long run, causing them to flake. On top of that, you tend to lick your lips more when you use lip balm, adding to lip dryness.
The relief that lip balm brings is a temporary fix, similar to a smoker who stops his smoker’s cough with another stick. Along with oral fixation, it’s a winning combination for an addiction.
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3. Chewing Ice
It’s such a common habit that it’s practically unnoticeable nowadays. The next time you go out with your friends, have a good look around after they're done with their drinks. At least half the table will be chewing on their ice.
The Addiction:
Ice chewing, or pagophagia, is a subgroup of a larger disorder known as pica. People who suffer from pica crave things with no nutritional value. Other weirder compulsions might include eating things like dirt, chalk or even feces (yes, there is such a thing).
Ice chewing usually indicates an iron deficiency, where chewers subconsciously try to get their necessary nutrients from ice. This is further shown by how ice tastes better to people who are anemic because the brain is craving for some iron.
Not to say that all ice chewers are deficient in iron. Some do it because of a bad habit from young and others because it’s just fun.
There’s really no harm in it, so chew away.
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