Rule 6Take a Moderate Approach

When we eat, have sex, or feel nurtured, we also feel pleasure. You can see on this human brain the unique pathway that gives us positive feelings, which reinforce these behaviors. This highlighted zone, called the ventral tegmental area (VTA) contains the powerful feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine. Eating is a pleasurable experience. So some of us overindulge for pleasure, even as we risk our health by packing on fat, as you see in the body scan of an adult female, at far right, below. We can learn to gain pleasure from things that benefit us rather than the destructive triggers that activate the pathway of addiction.