TY - JOUR
T1 - Constructing Craving
T2 - Applying the Theory of Constructed Emotion to Urge States
AU - Wilson, Stephen J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.
PY - 2022/8
Y1 - 2022/8
N2 - Craving (a strong desire to ingest a substance or engage in an activity) is an important topic of study in the field of psychology. Along with being a key symptom of addiction, craving is a potent source of motivation for a wide range of appetitive behaviors. In this article, I offer a perspective regarding the nature of craving that is rooted in the theory of constructed emotion, a contemporary model of how emotions are created by the brain. According to this perspective, a state of craving emerges when the brain makes predictions that categorize sensory inputs as an instance of craving on the basis of prior experience and the context in which the inputs occur. Using the theory of constructed emotion as a guiding framework, I review various lines of evidence that provide support for this idea. In addition, I offer recommendations for future research that stem from the hypothesis that instances of craving are constructed by the brain in an experience-dependent and situation-specific manner.
AB - Craving (a strong desire to ingest a substance or engage in an activity) is an important topic of study in the field of psychology. Along with being a key symptom of addiction, craving is a potent source of motivation for a wide range of appetitive behaviors. In this article, I offer a perspective regarding the nature of craving that is rooted in the theory of constructed emotion, a contemporary model of how emotions are created by the brain. According to this perspective, a state of craving emerges when the brain makes predictions that categorize sensory inputs as an instance of craving on the basis of prior experience and the context in which the inputs occur. Using the theory of constructed emotion as a guiding framework, I review various lines of evidence that provide support for this idea. In addition, I offer recommendations for future research that stem from the hypothesis that instances of craving are constructed by the brain in an experience-dependent and situation-specific manner.
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U2 - 10.1177/09637214221098055
DO - 10.1177/09637214221098055
M3 - Article
C2 - 36213317
AN - SCOPUS:85133367382
SN - 0963-7214
VL - 31
SP - 347
EP - 354
JO - Current Directions in Psychological Science
JF - Current Directions in Psychological Science
IS - 4
ER -