EMC Working Papers

The Intersection of Neurochemistry and Environmental Cognition in Climate Change

Let me introduce you to the concept of relativity, particularly relative status. Why can we not stop consuming? A first hint is the very nature of human survival and social structures. Within these social structures, hierarchy and hence status is particularly important. However, we have not evolved to have an absolute criterion for reaching a certain status, as it wouldn’t be viable on largely different scales. That is why we rely on relative status. As you may already know, our brain relies on neurotransmitters to carry electrical signals from one neuron to the next.

And you may have heard of testosterone, especially as the neurochemical responsible for aggressivity. Surprisingly, however, that’s not what it does. As Dr. Sapolsky explains, in humans:

‘the rise in testosterone during a status challenge does not necessarily increase aggression; it increases whatever is needed to maintain status.’

In today’s consumerist society, especially at the executive level of leading industrialized nations, status is conveyed through objects. In other words, if I need to show you that I am higher in the food chain, I must have the biggest and the most expensive object. The most vicious part about it is that, as N.J. Hagens puts it:

‘Once basic needs are satisfied, we are primed to respond to the comparison of “better vs. worse” more than we do to “a little” vs. “a lot.”’

We can already understand a little bit better why we cannot stop ourselves from going backward in our lifestyle.

Another important factor in why we always need to consume more at a faster rate is dopamine. Yes, you have heard about dopamine before, I am sure of it, probably linked to your smartphone and some unnamed social media capitalizing off of this dopamine reward system. The same works with getting more stuff in general. We do not go back to a base rate of dopamine, a level 0 of dopamine, like with nicotine, for example. With dopamine, you get used to a certain amount of reward, especially if it’s consistent and never changes. We need them to be stronger aka more expensive, exotic, or just plain more or unexpected, like random pings on your phone, always waiting for that next message, post or video.

Research Topics: Emissions Trading Ethics