.I'm writing a research paper for English composition II, and being the perfectionist that I am, I want to understand my research and produce a halfway decent argument. My paper relies upon the writings of Nicholas Carr and Emily Yoffe, but I've encountered a major snag in my research. I have two questions..
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.First, according to this article, dopamine controls one's sense of time. As a result, for those with lower dopamine levels, time seems to move faster (i.e. people with lower dopamine levels overestimate the passage of time)..
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.However, I've also heard that those with ADHD have lower dopamine levels, but this seems sort of counter intuitive. Wouldn't time move slower for those with ADHD -- which could explain why ADHD sufferers have trouble concentrating on things that take time and attention?.
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.What is the relationship here?.
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.Second, Nicholas Carr argues that increased Internet use is producing ADHD-like symptoms in users. Likewise, Emily Yoffe argues that the seeking/wanting/reward system accounts for why people seem to get so caught up with the Internet..
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.This seems to be contradictory, for dopamine is at the heart of the seeking system. If those with ADHD have low dopamine levels, then if increased Internet use is leading to ADHD-like symptoms, one would expect to see lower dopamine levels in frequent Internet users. But if frequent Internet users have low dopamine levels, their seeking system should be weaker and thus they wouldn't be using the Internet as much!.
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.This makes me wonder if perhaps those with ADHD have a selective seeking system. I've heard that this is true. This raises the question: Is it possible for the environment to hardwire the seeking system in a selective direction? For example, could increased Internet use program one's seeking system to prefer the quick and easy (via Google, Facebook, Twitter) over high concentration and deliberation (e.g., deep reading)?.
. .
.Could someone point me in the direction of some sources to help me clarify these difficulties I'm having? .
. .
.Thanks..
. .
.First, according to this article, dopamine controls one's sense of time. As a result, for those with lower dopamine levels, time seems to move faster (i.e. people with lower dopamine levels overestimate the passage of time)..
. .
.However, I've also heard that those with ADHD have lower dopamine levels, but this seems sort of counter intuitive. Wouldn't time move slower for those with ADHD -- which could explain why ADHD sufferers have trouble concentrating on things that take time and attention?.
. .
.What is the relationship here?.
. .
.Second, Nicholas Carr argues that increased Internet use is producing ADHD-like symptoms in users. Likewise, Emily Yoffe argues that the seeking/wanting/reward system accounts for why people seem to get so caught up with the Internet..
. .
.This seems to be contradictory, for dopamine is at the heart of the seeking system. If those with ADHD have low dopamine levels, then if increased Internet use is leading to ADHD-like symptoms, one would expect to see lower dopamine levels in frequent Internet users. But if frequent Internet users have low dopamine levels, their seeking system should be weaker and thus they wouldn't be using the Internet as much!.
. .
.This makes me wonder if perhaps those with ADHD have a selective seeking system. I've heard that this is true. This raises the question: Is it possible for the environment to hardwire the seeking system in a selective direction? For example, could increased Internet use program one's seeking system to prefer the quick and easy (via Google, Facebook, Twitter) over high concentration and deliberation (e.g., deep reading)?.
. .
.Could someone point me in the direction of some sources to help me clarify these difficulties I'm having? .
. .
.Thanks..
