A new study from the University of British Columbia helps
explain how people become obsessed with forbidden pleasures.
The study, which will appear in an upcoming edition of
Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience journal, shows that when
people are forbidden from something, it takes on a new level of focus.
“Our findings show that when individuals are forbidden from
everyday objects, our minds and brains pay more attention to them,” says lead
author Grace Truong, a graduate student in UBC’s Dept. of Psychology. “Our
brains give forbidden objects the same level of attention as our own personal
possessions.”