Are Your Favorite Things Actually Addictions?

Peter Dazeley/Photographer's Choice/Getty Images; Bloomberg via Getty Images; Chris Turner/Stone/Getty ImagesA column on BBC News this week explores the idea that anything -- from Diet Coke to work to exercise -- can be addictive. If it stimulates the reward area of our brain, argues Mark Griffiths, Ph.D., a psychologist and gambling expert, there’s potential for abuse. Scientific studies back up his claim; over the past few years, for instance, we’ve seen headlines proclaim that our favorite guilty pleasures like junk food, Facebook and tanning can all be habit-forming.

So how do we know if our chocolate habit or love of bargain hunting has taken us to the dark side? READ MORE