There has been a lot of hype recently about the dangers of texting, talking on the phone, posting, and taking selfies while driving. On April 24, 2014, a young woman from North Carolina posted on Twitter how happy she was while listening to Happy Song on the radio. A minute later there was an emergency call. She had drifted into the wrong lane while she was posting and collided head-on with a waste management truck. The car went off the road and caught fire. When help arrived, she was dead.
While everyone wants happiness, sometimes your level of euphoria can get so high that you lose your ability to reason. It creates the same effect as alcohol or drugs, where the brain’s pleasure center is stimulated and the brain’s reasoning centers don’t work as well. Although the effect is much less intense than that of alcohol or drugs, it is a strange reasoning.
The brain has chemicals that make you feel pleasurable sensations. Serotonin is the chemical that allows you to feel good even when nothing exciting is happening. Dopamine sends you into a happy stupor when you’ve just received some good news. That’s not a bad thing. norepinephrine excites you and excites you. Some people who are deficient in these chemicals need antidepressant medication.
When you are very happy and excited, these chemicals are secreted in larger amounts than normal. It can create a decline in your reasoning abilities. Suddenly you feel as if the laws of nature do not apply to you. For example, you don’t have to drive well, study for a test, or do anything that is bothersome. Feelings are addictive, so you won’t want to stop feeling so good and go back to your duties. A basic example would be when you’re out for lunch with a friend, having a great time but then letting out a sigh when you switch your thoughts to the afternoon work schedule.
You might ask, “So we should never be too happy to survive, who wants to do that?” No, the trick is to keep thinking and realize that you can return to your euphoria later. When you’re doing something that requires concentration, being present with your effort is a form of quiet happiness. Even if you drive the same road every day, driving on it and concentrating on driving is not only sensible, but you always feel happy when your mind is in the present moment. You can feel good again with your good news. If you’re happy with a song on the radio, you’ll be fine enjoying it now and texting your friends only when you reach your destination. You will live, both literally and figuratively.
When you feel an intense emotion, be it happy or unhappy, your downstairs brain is activated and your upstairs brain (cerebral cortex) is not as active. Alcohol and drugs intensify this. That is why it is important to concentrate and think when doing an activity. You regain the feeling of happiness when you finish the task and enjoy it safely.
Finally, in writing this I am not condemning the woman who died in the accident. Anything that happens is significant. Her death is significant as it may make others aware of the dangers of texting and driving. It can save lives.