Super Stimulated: How Our Biology Is Being Manipulated to Create Bad Habits

by Nicklas Brendborg

ISBN: 9781399735148

Published: 2025-06-26

Why can't we resist doom scrolling on our phones? Why do we struggle to avoid sugary snacks? Why do we let Netflix play yet another episode? We feel powerless to resist the pull of these addictive behaviours, despite knowing they're not good for us. But this lack of control isn't because we are weak - it's because of superstimuli. Superstimuli: behaviours, objects and social cues that are exaggerated versions of things we have evolved to want and need. This hard-wired evolutionary response is why we lust after airbrushed people online who outshine any real sex partner, binge on unnatural ultra processed food and dive deeper and deeper into the unreality of social media. In Super Stimulated, international bestselling author and scientist Nicklas Brendborg shows how our biological response to these superstimuli is being manipulated by powerful companies in ways that damage our health and ultimately shorten our lifespans. With startling statistics and fascinating examples from the...