Imagine reading a story titled "Pursuing Success". That would be an inspiring story, wouldn't it? Maybe—but maybe not. It might well be the story of someone whose never ending chase for more and more success leaves them unsatisfied and incapable of happiness. Though it isn't a conventional medical addiction, for many people success has addictive properties.
Obviously, success goes with praise. To a certain extent, praise stimulates the neurotransmitter dopamine (神经递质多巴胺), which contributes to all addictive behaviors.
The desire for success may be born to human nature, but specialness doesn't come cheap. Success is tough work, and it requires bearing the cost of losing. In the 1980s, the physician Robert Goldman famously found that more than half of ambitious athletes would be willing to take a drug that would kill them in five years in exchange for winning every competition they entered.
Unfortunately, success is endless. The goal can't be satisfactory; most people never feel "successful enough". The high only lasts a day or two, and then it's on to the next goal. Psychologists call this the hedonic treadmill (享乐跑步机现象), in which satisfaction wears off almost immediately and we must run on to the next reward to avoid the feeling of falling behind.
People should get off the treadmill. But quitting isn't easy for addicts. For people hooked on substances, withdrawal can be a painful experience, both physically and psychologically. Research finds that depression and anxiety are common among outstanding athletes after their careers end. Olympic athletes, in particular, suffer from the "post-Olympic blues".
Just like wine, success in and of itself is not a bad thing. Both can bring fun and sweetness to life. But both become bossy when they are a substitute for—a instead of a complement (补充物) to—the relationships and love that should be the center of our lives.
