Scientists are trying to understand why. New book explores the philosophy of addiction. Our understanding of addiction is changing. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Reprinted by permission of Princeton University Press.

The Relay app allows users to track their porn-free streaks and get group support. Its creators say they're taking a stand against porn and AI erotica. Jamie would meticulously schedule his days around finding time alone to watch porn and masturbate--often up to five times a day. The 32-year-old Michigan engineer, who did not want to use his real name due to privacy concerns, first watched porn at the impressionable age of 12, but never realized he had a problem until just after his father's funeral three years ago. "I didn't shed a single tear," he says.

The Atlantic CEO's new book,, examines his complicated relationship with the sport. On this week's episode of, he talks about the ways tech is helping him become a better runner. To most of the world, Nicholas Thompson is known as an editor, an AI enthusiast, or something of a LinkedIn influencer. But the former WIRED editor in chief, who is now CEO of The Atlantic, is often better known to colleagues as . On Tuesday, Thompson is releasing . As the title suggests, it's a book about his commitment to running--Thompson runs a ridiculously fast marathon and holds the American 50K record for the 45-49 age group. Ultimately, though, the book examines the complicated relationship between the sport, Thompson, and his father, who first took him on a run when he was just 5 years old. Tech obsessives, of course, will also get their fix: includes plenty of science-backed training guidance and documents Thompson's experience training with elite Nike coaches. On this week's episode of, I talked to Thompson (who was also my first boss; he hired me as an intern at WIRED in 2008) about his book, the interplay between running and addiction, and what he thinks AI can do for runners for writers. It is a joy to be here with you at Condé Nast at WIRED. I loved coming up those elevators. I love seeing you as the editor in chief. I'm thrilled that you're here. We're going to start this conversation the way we start all of them, which is with a little warmup, some rapid-fire questions. In honor of your new book,, I'm gonna make them entirely running themed. I mean, if your listeners don't wanna hear about running Trail run or track run? Worst running injury you've ever had. The one you wish people would stop talking to you about. You only need to run a 20-miler before a marathon. What do you need to run? Why do people die at mile 20? Because they only train for [marathons] with 20-mile-runs. I generally prefer people, but then you have to schedule it. Backup sport of choice if you could never run again.

Concerns over the potential over-pathologization of generative AI (GenAI) use and the lack of conceptual clarity surrounding GenAI addiction call for empirical tools and theoretical refinement. This study developed and validated the PUGenAIS-9 (Problematic Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Scale-9 items) and examined whether PUGenAIS reflects addiction-like patterns under the Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) framework. Using samples from China and the United States (N = 1,508), we conducted confirmatory factor analysis and identified a robust 31-item structure across nine IGD-based dimensions. We then derived the PUGenAIS-9 by selecting the highest-loading items from each dimension and validated its structure in an independent sample (N = 1,426). Measurement invariance tests confirmed its stability across nationality and gender. Person-centered (latent profile analysis) and variable-centered (network analysis) approaches revealed a 5-10% prevalence rate, a symptom network structure similar to IGD, and predictive factors related to psychological distress and functional impairment. These findings indicate that PUGenAI shares features of the emotionally vulnerable subtype of IGD rather than the competence-based type. These results support using PUGenAIS-9 to identify problematic GenAI use and show the need to rethink digital addiction with an ICD (infrastructures, content, and device) model. This keeps addiction research responsive to new media while avoiding over-pathologizing.

'Two dogs even managed to destroy the box and get their toy.' Addiction to toys can mirror human addictive behavior in some dogs. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. If it seems like your dog is as attached to its favorite toy as your kids are to their blankie or stuffed animal, it might not be all in your head. It could even be something akin to addiction . Some dogs show behaviors towards their toys that actually resemble behavioral addictions in humans, including gambling, video games, and our beloved smartphones .

This paper describes the participation of the SINAI team in the eRisk@CLEF lab. Specifically, one of the proposed tasks has been addressed: Task 2 on the early detection of signs of pathological gambling. The approach presented in Task 2 is based on pre-trained models from Transformers architecture with comprehensive preprocessing data and data balancing techniques. Moreover, we integrate Long-short Term Memory (LSTM) architecture with automodels from Transformers. In this Task, our team has been ranked in seventh position, with an F1 score of 0.126, out of 49 participant submissions and achieves the highest values in recall metrics and metrics related to early detection.

Membership in ACM includes a subscription to Communications of the ACM (CACM), the computing industry's most trusted source for staying connected to the world of advanced computing. Studies conducted with families in the Arab GCC region found that digital addiction is highly prevalent among both parents and children. Digital addiction (DA) refers to a problematic relationship with technology characterized by symptoms of behavioral addiction, including mood modification, salience, tolerance, conflict, withdrawal symptoms, and relapse. While addictive use of technology is not yet officially recognized as a clinical diagnosis, certain forms, such as Internet gaming disorder (IGD), have been classified as clinical conditions. Notably, IGD was included in the ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases) by the World Health Organization in 2018.

Kyle's interest in AI porn began last summer as he circled rock bottom. From the outside, everything seemed fine. He was in a committed relationship with his longtime girlfriend. He enjoyed the perks of his job working for a sports betting company. Still, all he could think about was fueling his porn addiction in new ways--even at the cost of feeling mentally drained and tired.

Tens of millions of Americans engage in a taboo habit that scientists have warned could pose risks to cognitive health. A recent study found that regularly viewing pornography can immediately reduce a person's performance on tasks requiring attention and cognitive control right after exposure to explicit content. Impaired executive function and reduced cognitive performance are known early markers of cognitive decline, a precursor to dementia. Research has suggested that if such effects are sustained or repeated over time, they could potentially contribute to long-term health risks. In the study, college students watched a 10-minute internet pornographic video chosen for its high viewership.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. In a world first, scientists at the University of Utah have engineered fruit flies susceptible to cocaine addiction. But as strange as it sounds, there are potentially life-saving reasons for genetically altering the insects to crave the drug. The novel biological model could help addiction treatment therapies development and expedite research timelines. The findings are detailed in the Journal of Neuroscience.