Anna Lembke
ON THE RECORD · 7 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“Dopamine is the molecule that says 'get more of' or 'do more of', but it doesn't necessarily equate to pleasure.”
Anna Lembke · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Lembke explains that dopamine drives pursuit of reward but does not necessarily produce pleasure.
“reinforce the same addictive neural networks they are trying to simulate”
Anna Lembke · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Lembke believes the fake ordering sites could over time reinforce the same addictive neural networks they aim to simulate.
“developing brain is a vulnerable brain”
Anna Lembke · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Lembke says younger people may be especially vulnerable to reinforcing digital rewards due to brain development.
“The one up side, though, is that people using these sites have on some level already admitted to themselves they have a problem, and that admission is often the first step in recovery,”
Anna Lembke · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Lembke notes that users of these sites have already acknowledged having a problem, which is often a first step in recovery.
“In childhood and early adolescence, the front lobe, which acts like the brakes on appetite, is not yet fully connected to the emotion centres of the brain. Hence, teens are more likely to take risks without appreciating the negative consequences, and more likely to get addicted to reinforcing substances and behaviours, once exposed,”
Anna Lembke · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Lembke explains that the frontal lobe is not fully connected to emotion centres in adolescence, making teens more prone to risk-taking and addiction.
“To call dopamine a chemical of pleasure is an oversimplification,”
Anna Lembke · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Lembke told the reporter that describing dopamine as a pleasure chemical is an oversimplification.
“Anticipation of reward can be as reinforcing as the reward itself,”
Anna Lembke · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-23
Lembke says that the routines and cues leading up to a reward can become reinforcing on their own, as in addiction.