HOW DO YOU GET HOOKED ON AN ACTIVITY?

In the same way as with a substance: Someone with alcohol use disorder may get a rush from the clink of ice in a glass, and a person who can’t stop shopping may feel one from the scent of her favourite department store.

“When we take a picture of the brain of someone with a gambling problem, for instance, we see similarities to drug and alcohol problems,” says psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr Jon Grant. Similar regional brain activation occurs in people addicted to food, exercise, even tanning

– and the World Health Organization has now recognised ‘gaming disorder’ as a diagnosable problem. It refers to people who “have trouble controlling the amount of time they spend playing digital or video games.”