Pleasure, By David J Linden

Some addicts haven't got a leg to stand on

Pleasure has an evil twin: addiction. David J Linden explains how pleasurable activities such as drinking alcohol or taking drugs change the chemistry of the brain and create cravings. (The same applies to "virtuous" pleasures such as exercise. Jeff Tweedy, of the band Wilco, gave up drugs and alcohol but became so addicted to running that he broke both tibias.)

Linden's research puts paid to the traditional notion of free will. Yet developments in neuroscience could bring a new freedom, in which drugs could "decouple" pleasure from addiction and we'll be able to stimulate our brains to get any pleasurable experience we want. As Linden asks, however: "When pleasure is ubiquitous, what will we desire?"