Normally, when we think of addiction the image of an alcoholic or someone that is a drug addict pops into our heads. That is what society tells us and that is what we have been lead to believe. However, what if you could be addicted to sugar? What if sugar, in high doses, had similar effects on your brain chemistry as cocaine? What is everything you thought about addiction was actually wrong? Amanda will explore these questions and highlight why we should rethink the way we define addiction within our society.

Amanda is currently completing her Ph.D. in Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Sciences in the Department of Psychology at Queen’s University. Her research investigates the behavioral and neurological changes associated with the development of compulsive substance intake within addiction. In addition to her research, she teaches several undergraduate courses for the department of Psychology, and collaborates on a number of research projects at Kingston General Hospital. She also volunteers her time as an executive committee member for the Kingston Regional Heritage Fair, and is involved with the newly developed PhD-Community Initiative currently being piloted by the School of Graduate Studies at Queen's.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx