The Neophilia Problem

Got to have the latest gadget? Got to be doing something different all the time? Always falling in love with some new idea, proposal, toy? You, good friend, are a neophiliac.

You may have this problem. If you do, there's no harm in confessing it to the congregation.

The problem is the neophilia problem. Neo + philia. Not, necrophilia. Neophilia. The love of the new. The thirst for the novel. The need for speed. The lust for the razor's edge. The curiosity about the inexperienced. The thrill of the dangerous. If this describes you, you're a neophiliac, and Nietzsche captures your spirit: "The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously."

The thirst for something new can be addictive. Indeed, many addicts are themselves neophiliacs, and the story of recovering users is often the story of people who crave danger and excitement. And that's how we typically think of neophilia -- it's been historically associated with trouble! It's a love of danger that trends toward disaster. Researchers have found that a novelty-seeking personality actually has genetic connections and similar neurotransmitter patterns...