Why Addiction Strikes Technicians and Engineers

technician engineer addictedAddiction is universal, striking every demographic on the planet equally. There are certain types of people in certain vocations who would seem to be more prone to addiction than others. One of these groups of people is technical thinkers, such as technicians and engineers. There have been studies and inquiries into why this personality profile may be more prone to addiction than others, even if just slightly. The consensus is that there are certain tenants of a technically mind that lead to addiction, such as:

  • The extreme intellect of a technical mind looks for ways to relieve boredom. Because a technically minded person, such as a technician or engineer, makes short work of any linear task or problem solving, they often run into situations where they are bored and seeking mental stimulation. This can lead to experimenting with addictive substances and behaviors that even an intelligent person can find themselves craving uncontrollably.
  • Technically minded people are intelligent but still vulnerable. Certain parts of their brain are highly developed, but typically, other parts are undeveloped and somewhat “wet behind the ears,” which makes them susceptible to addiction despite their frequent perception of themselves as infallibly logical.
  •  It is very common for a technically minded person to be a bit stunted when it comes to emotional reasoning. Their technical brain is overdeveloped and their emotional faculties are undeveloped. This can be problematic for a technically minded person who is addicted, because they do not navigate changes to their thinking or their behavior well. They are used to having everything under control, and are unequipped to deal with being out of control.
  • Technically minded people are prone to having inhibited dopamine production, meaning the chemical in their brain that indicates pleasure is produced in short supply. This may simply be due to how overdeveloped their unemotional faculties are. This often means that when they encounter something that gives them immense pleasure, such as an addictive substance or activity, they overuse it to a fault and become addicted.