A Thesis on Human Behaviour in the AI Age: The Limbic Code We Can’t Escape

Behavior, Philosophy, Society, Technology, Uncategorised |

Introduction: The Ancient Brain Meets the Algorithmic Age

Born in 1971, I’ve watched the UK morph from analogue to AI’s relentless hum, my perspective sharpened by two decades of photography and essays like “Desire: Erotic Art in Photography” and “Why We’re Wired for Chaos: Decoding Behaviour in 2025.” Yuval Harari’s Homo Deus sparked a revelation: we’re biological algorithms, coded by evolution to survive the savanna’s threats. Jaak Panksepp’s affect theory names these circuits—SEEKING for exploration, FEAR and RAGE for survival, CARE and PLAY for connection, and more. Not vague emotions, they’re neural instincts, firing before thought, driving every choice from market bets to social media scrolls.

These instincts explain why fear and outrage grip us tighter than joy—a negativity bias where threats loomed larger than calm, which lingered as a quiet pause to save energy. Survival meant staying sensitive to dangers and responding fast. Those who didn’t, perished. Evolution promoted what worked best and so our biological algorithms weighted themselves for maximal survival.

In 2025, AI doesn’t rewrite this code; it’s a gain knob, turning up what’s loudest. Social platforms, as I explore in “Social Media Addiction,” amplify RAGE and FEAR for clicks, turning savanna impulses into digital traps. Markets lurch on greed’s SEEKING and panic’s FEAR, as in “Why Fear and Greed Drive Markets.” Yet, Harari and Panksepp show these algorithms bend with context—safety can boost CARE or PLAY, as I envision in “End of Debt: The Abundance Flywheel by 2040.”

This essay is my lens on that truth—how our limbic code shapes culture, tech, and identity, and how AI can fuel chaos or foster abundance. We’ll unpack Panksepp’s affective systems, the brain’s predictive wiring, and how markets and media mirror our instincts. Then, we’ll test the model, mark its limits, and offer a playbook to tune AI for connection over conflict. In a world where biological and digital algorithms collide, understanding our code isn’t just insight—it’s the lever to steer us toward shared possibility, away from savanna shadows.

We don’t escape the limbic code but we choose its settings. AI is the gain knob that can amplify fear and hoarding or dial up seeking, play, and care

1. The Primitives: Our Conserved Limbic Toolkit

The human brain, for all its complexity, runs on a handful of emotional circuits—biological algorithms etched by evolution to keep us alive. Jaak Panksepp’s affect theory, a cornerstone of neuroscience, identifies seven primary systems: SEEKING, RAGE, FEAR, LUST, CARE, PANIC/GRIEF, and PLAY. These aren’t fleeting moods but hardwired instincts, rooted in the limbic system, firing across mammals from rats to us. They’re the code behind every choice, from snapping a photo to chasing crypto gains. While fixed in origin, they’re flexible—shaped by culture, stress, or safety. Below, I unpack each, tying them to the patterns I’ve explored in my essays, showing how these ancient drives still steer our modern world.

SEEKING: The Spark of Exploration

SEEKING drives us to hunt, explore, and create, fuelled by anticipation’s dopamine rush. It’s the thrill of chasing a new idea or asset, like the speculative fervour in “Crypto Market Cap to Hit $12 Trillion by 2026.” In scarcity, it morphs into hoarding—grabbing resources to survive winter. In abundance, it’s the entrepreneur coding at dawn or the artist chasing a vision. We see SEEKING in the restless energy of the tech scene, pushing innovation but also greed when unchecked.

RAGE: The Fire of Defence

RAGE mobilizes us to smash obstacles, from physical threats to social slights. It’s the surge behind a trader cutting losses (“The Psychology of Cutting Losses in Trading”) or online pile-ons fuelled by perceived injustice. RAGE enforces boundaries but can spiral into destructive cycles, especially when platforms amplify it for engagement. In 2025’s polarized feeds, RAGE often drowns out reason. Its a savanna reflex in digital disguise.

FEAR: The Sentinel of Survival

FEAR scans for danger, wired to spot the lion in the grass. It’s why market crashes trigger panic-selling (“Why Fear and Greed Drive Markets”) or why doom-scrolling hooks us (“Social Media Addiction”). This negativity bias—favouring threats over calm—kept ancestors alive but now fuels anxiety in a world of endless alerts. FEAR’s grip loosens in safety, yet it’s ever-ready, shaping our instincts before thought kicks in.

LUST: The Pulse of Desire

LUST drives reproduction and raw attraction, a primal force I’ve captured in “Desire: Erotic Art in Photography.” Beyond sex, it fuels passion for beauty or status, like chasing the latest iPhone (“Why iPhones and Cowboy Boots Are Status Symbols”). In 2025, LUST is hijacked by ads and algorithms, turning desire into clicks. It’s potent but fleeting, often overshadowed by survival’s louder signals.

CARE: The Glue of Bonds

CARE builds connection—parent to child, friend to friend. It’s the empathy behind community aid or the loyalty in “Social Cohesion Crisis 2035.” In my work, I’ve seen CARE in quiet moments of trust, like a portrait session where vulnerability shines. When nurtured, it fosters cooperation; when scarce, it’s drowned by fear or rage, leaving fractured tribes.

PANIC/GRIEF: The Sting of Loss

PANIC/GRIEF kicks in when bonds break—separation distress or fear of exclusion. It’s the ache of being left out, driving identity crises in “Identity Crisis 2035” or FOMO in social media’s endless scroll. This system pushes us to reconnect but can trap us in cycles of neediness or tribalism when tech exploits our fear of isolation.

PLAY: The Joy of Experimentation

PLAY is low-stakes creation—laughter, games, or art that builds skills and bonds. It’s the spark of “Why We’re Wired for Chaos,” where creativity thrives in chaos’s gaps. In my photography, PLAY is the trial-and-error of a new shot. In 2025, it’s stifled by high-stakes systems but blooms in safe spaces, driving innovation when given room.

The Plasticity of Our Code

These systems are conserved—etched deep, shared with mammals—but not rigid. Culture, stress, or abundance tweak their volume. In uncertainty, FEAR and RAGE scream loudest, as in polarized politics (“The Shifting Axes of Global Power”). In safety, SEEKING, CARE, and PLAY take over, fuelling the abundance I envision in “End of Debt: The Abundance Flywheel by 2040.” This plasticity is key: our code is old, but its expression is ours to shape, especially as AI turns up the dials.

2. The Predictive Brain: How Our Code Processes the World

Our brain is a prediction engine, constantly guessing what’s next to keep us alive and connected in a chaotic world. Drawing on neuroscience, this process—called predictive processing—works like a newsroom editor, sifting signals to decide what’s urgent. Jaak Panksepp’s affective systems (SEEKING, RAGE, FEAR, and others) are the headlines it prioritizes, while allostasis—anticipating bodily needs—sets the tone. In today’s society, social media, news, TV and commerce hijack this wiring, turning our limbic instincts into digital bait. This section explores how the brain assigns “precision” to these instincts, amplifying some over others, and why outrage dominates our feeds, as I’ve examined in essays like “Social Media Addiction” and “Why We’re Wired for Chaos.”

Imagine your brain as a 24/7 news desk, scanning for what matters. Predictive processing means it builds a model of the world—say, expecting a calm scroll through X or a TV ad break—and updates when surprised, like a breaking news alert. Allostasis keeps the body ready, ramping up for threats (sweaty palms on a doom headline) or easing for safety (relaxing to a feel-good show). Each of Panksepp’s affects gets a weight, or “precision,” based on context. In uncertainty—think 2025’s flood of clickbait news or viral outrage clips—FEAR and RAGE get top billing. Why? A missed threat on the savanna was death; a missed sitcom laugh wasn’t. This is the negativity bias I’ve traced in “Why We’re Wired for Chaos,” where threats feel truer than joy.

Social media platforms, like X or TikTok, are master editors, curating posts to spike RAGE or FEAR because they glue us to screens. A tweet storm about a political scandal or a news ticker screaming crisis hits harder than a post about community care, as I noted in “Social Media Addiction.” Algorithms learn that outrage travels faster—retweets and likes soar when RAGE flares, making it feel urgent, even if it’s just a fleeting row. TV news leans in too, looping disaster footage to keep FEAR’s precision high, drowning out quieter CARE or PLAY signals. My twenty years capturing human emotion through a camera lens show me this: the raw snap of anger in a subject’s eyes grabs attention faster than a smile.

But context can shift the dial. In safe spaces—say, a group chat sharing creative ideas or a show celebrating human connection—SEEKING and PLAY take over, sparking curiosity or laughter. These moments, like the collaborative spark in “The Wall of Wonder,” thrive when algorithms don’t drown them in noise. The brain’s plasticity, tied to Harari’s biological algorithms, means we’re not doomed to outrage. By tweaking what media prioritizes—less clickbait, more connection—we can reweight our instincts, quieting FEAR’s scream and amplifying CARE’s warmth, steering society toward balance in todays digital storm.

From Individual Code to Collective Systems: Culture, Markets, and Media

Panksepp’s affective systems—SEEKING, RAGE, FEAR, and the rest—don’t just drive individual choices; they scale into the collective pulse of society, shaping culture, markets, and media as limbic mirrors. These systems, our biological algorithms, are harnessed by todays digital arenas—social media, news, and TV—where incentives turn raw instincts into coordinated chaos or, rarely, connection. Culture codifies how we balance these drives, from viral trends to tribal feuds, while markets and media monetize their arousal, often amplifying the more sensitively tuned RAGE or FEAR over CARE or PLAY. This section, inspired by my essays like “Why iPhones and Cowboy Boots Are Status Symbols” and “The Shifting Axes of Global Power,” explores how our instincts ripple outward, reflecting the society we inhabit today.

Culture is a shared script, a long memory of how groups navigate instincts. Social media platforms like X or TikTok are its modern stage, where SEEKING and STATUS fuel trends—think influencers flaunting luxury bags, echoing the prestige chase in “Why iPhones and Cowboy Boots Are Status Symbols.” These aren’t just purchases; they’re signals of belonging, rooted in CARE and PANIC/GRIEF’s fear of exclusion. Yet, platforms prioritize our highly tuned RAGE and FEAR, as a viral post slamming a rival group outpaces a quiet call for unity. In “Social Media Addiction,” I’ve noted how algorithms reward outrage’s quick spark, turning our need for connection into a shouting match, drowning CARE’s softer glow.

Markets mirror this dance, converting limbic surges into dollars. Financial cycles swing on SEEKING’s euphoria—bidding up crypto in a bull run (“Crypto Market Cap to Hit $12 Trillion by 2026”)—until FEAR triggers a crash, as panic-selling traders flee risk. These aren’t rational calculations; they’re affective waves, where greed and fear, as I’ve written in “Why Fear and Greed Drive Markets,” pulse like a TV drama’s cliffhanger. News outlets lean in, looping market plunge headlines to keep FEAR’s grip tight, much like a reality show thrives on manufactured conflict. The incentive is clear: arousal equals attention, and attention equals revenue.

Media, especially TV and news, amplifies this further. A 24/7 news cycle, like CNN or Fox, thrives on FEAR’s urgency—disaster clips or political scandals dominate because they hook viewers, not because they’re the full story. Social media mirrors this, with X’s trending hashtags often tied to RAGE-fuelled debates, not PLAY’s creative spark. My twenty years behind a camera lens show me this: a heated protest photo grabs eyes faster than a joyful community shot, just as TV favours drama over depth. Yet, culture can shift—think viral TikTok dances tapping PLAY or crowdfunded aid reflecting CARE, as in “Social Cohesion Crisis 2035.” These glimmers show incentives can pivot.

Geopolitics, too, is a limbic stage. Tribal conflicts, as I’ve explored in “The Shifting Axes of Global Power,” scale RAGE and FEAR into narratives of us-versus-them, amplified by news painting rivals as threats. Social media stokes this, with PANIC/GRIEF driving clicks on posts about cultural loss or exclusion. But abundance can reweight instincts—platforms could highlight SEEKING’s curiosity or CARE’s empathy, fostering cooperation over division. The catch? Today’s incentives reward short-term spikes over long-term trust, locking us in cycles of negativly fuelled arousal. Rewriting those rules, as I’ve mused in “End of Debt: The Abundance Flywheel by 2040,” could mirror our better instincts, building a society that values connection over chaos.

3. AI as the Ultimate Tuner: Amplification Loops vs. Balanced Systems

Today, AI isn’t just a tool; it’s a master tuner, cranking the volume on our limbic instincts—Panksepp’s affective systems like RAGE, FEAR, or SEEKING—while shaping the society we navigate through social media, news, TV, and commerce. As Harari warns in Homo Deus, AI hacks our biological algorithms, turning primal drives into digital and market-driven outcomes. Left unchecked, it creates Limbic Amplification Loops (LALs), where high-arousal emotions like outrage or desire dominate, fuelling clicks and sales. But with deliberate design, AI could foster balance, dialling up CARE or PLAY for a healthier collective pulse. This section, tied to my essays like “Social Media Addiction” and “Why iPhones and Cowboy Boots Are Status Symbols,” explores how AI amplifies or tames our instincts in today’s societal machine.

Social media platforms like X or TikTok are AI-driven arenas were RAGE and FEAR spike for engagement. A viral post slamming a rival group—think a heated political thread—spreads faster than a call for unity, as algorithms learn outrage keeps us scrolling, as I’ve noted in “Social Media Addiction.” News outlets, like 24/7 cable channels, mirror this, looping disaster clips to lock in FEAR’s grip, boosting viewership. Commerce joins the fray: e-commerce giants like Amazon or targeted ads on Instagram hijack LUST and SEEKING, pushing impulse buys with personalized nudges—think “only one left” alerts fuelling PANIC/GRIEF’s fear of missing out. I’ve seen how a perfectly framed ad image, like a glossy sneaker, taps the same desire as a portrait, but AI scales it into relentless temptation.

These LALs form a vicious cycle: AI serves high-arousal content (a news ticker on war, a TikTok feud, a flash sale), users react, and platforms double down, drowning out CARE’s empathy or PLAY’s creativity. My essay “How AI Advertising Shapes Your Identity in 2025” captures this—ads exploit STATUS and LUST, rewiring identity around consumption. Crypto markets, too, amplify SEEKING’s greed with AI-driven trading bots, inflating bubbles before FEAR crashes them, as in “Crypto Market Cap to Hit $12 Trillion by 2026.” The result? A society hooked on emotional spikes, not connection.

But AI can tune differently. Homeostatic AI—systems designed for balance—could dial down RAGE and boost CARE, as I’ve mused in “How AI Superintelligence Nudges Human Behaviour.” Imagine X rewarding posts that spark PLAY (creative challenges) or CARE (community support) over outrage, or news prioritizing solutions over panic. Commerce could shift too: instead of scarcity-driven ads, platforms could highlight sustainable purchases or shared experiences, tapping SEEKING’s curiosity. Tools like an “Affect Ledger”—a dashboard showing your feed’s emotional mix—could empower users to rebalance their digital diet. In 2025, AI’s dials aren’t fixed; we can design for trust and exploration, not just profit, steering society from limbic traps to a future where abundance means connection, not chao

4. The Power of Safety Slack: Unlocking Abundance Modes

In today’s frenetic society, where social media, news, TV, and commerce amplify RAGE and FEAR, a simple shift—safety slack—can retune our limbic instincts toward abundance. Safety slack, the buffer of security like stable income or trusted communities, dials down the threat-focused instincts Panksepp identified, letting SEEKING, CARE, and PLAY flourish. Far from a feel-good ideal, this is a mechanical pivot: when survival feels assured, our biological algorithms, as Harari frames them, prioritize exploration and connection over panic. This section, tied to my essays like “End of Debt: The Abundance Flywheel by 2040” and “Social Cohesion Crisis 2035,” shows how slack reshapes society’s pulse.

Without slack, FEAR and PANIC/GRIEF dominate—think X posts stoking dread of societal collapse or news loops on economic woes, keeping us on edge. Commerce piles on, with flash sales on Amazon tapping PANIC’s fear of missing out, pushing impulse buys over thoughtful choices. My twenty years behind a camera lens reveal this: a stressed client’s tense pose reflects FEAR’s grip, while a relaxed one sparks PLAY’s creativity. Slack flips this script. Secure finances or tight-knit online groups—like a TikTok community sharing skills—boost SEEKING’s curiosity, driving innovation without greed’s shadow, as I’ve envisioned in “End of Debt.”

CARE thrives too, turning strangers into allies. A news story highlighting community aid, not just crises, or a TV show celebrating collaboration over conflict, can amplify CARE’s warmth, fostering trust. Commerce could pivot here—platforms like Etsy promoting sustainable, story-driven purchases tap CARE and SEEKING, not just LUST for status. In “Social Cohesion Crisis 2035,” I’ve explored how such bonds counter division, but they need slack to grow. PLAY, meanwhile, sparks low-stakes creation—think viral dance challenges on social media or my own trial-and-error in photography. When platforms reward these over outrage, society hums with invention.

This isn’t utopia; it’s mechanics. Slack reduces the brain’s threat bias, letting positive instincts compound—more learning, stronger bonds, smarter risks. Social media could curate for PLAY’s joy, news for CARE’s empathy, commerce for SEEKING’s discovery. By creating buffers—whether through policy, community, or design—we unlock abundance modes, where 2025’s digital currents carry us toward connection, not chaos.

5. Real-World Mechanisms: Incentives in Action

Society’s pulse—driven by Panksepp’s affective systems and Harari’s biological algorithms—beats through social media, news, TV, and commerce, where incentives shape how our instincts play out. These domains aren’t neutral; they’re rigged to reward certain affects, like RAGE or FEAR, over others, like CARE or PLAY, creating limbic currents that sway collective behaviour. This section, tied to my essays like “Social Media Addiction” and “Crypto Market Cap to Hit $12 Trillion by 2026,” examines how incentives in four key arenas—platforms, markets, consumerism, and geopolitics—amplify or suppress our drives, revealing the machinery of today’s world.

Social Platforms: Social media, like X or TikTok, thrives on RAGE and FEAR, as algorithms push viral outrage—a politician’s misstep or a heated thread—to maximize clicks. In “Social Media Addiction,” I’ve noted how these platforms reward high-arousal posts, sidelining CARE-driven content like community fundraisers. Yet, incentives could shift: a platform prioritizing PLAY (think creative challenges) or CARE (support groups) could foster connection, but engagement-driven metrics keep outrage king, trapping users in digital shouting matches.

Financial Markets: Markets turn SEEKING’s thrill into speculative bets, as seen in crypto’s wild swings in “Crypto Market Cap to Hit $12 Trillion by 2026.” When uncertainty spikes—say, a news-driven panic—FEAR shortens holding times, pushing traders to memecoins or safe assets. TV news amplifies this, looping market crash alerts to stoke panic. Incentives here favour volatility, but rewarding long-term SEEKING (e.g., innovation-focused ETFs) could steady the cycle, encouraging smarter risks over greed’s churn.

Consumerism: Commerce, especially e-commerce like Amazon, taps LUST and PANIC/GRIEF with scarcity cues—“only two left!”—driving impulse buys. In “Why iPhones and Cowboy Boots Are Status Symbols,” I’ve explored how brands exploit STATUS and SEEKING, tying identity to shiny gadgets. But incentives can pivot: platforms like Etsy could reward CARE-driven purchases (sustainable, artisanal goods), shifting consumerism toward meaning. My photography lens shows this: a client’s desire for a status-driven portrait often overshadows creative depth, unless incentives value the latter.

Geopolitics: Global tensions, as in “The Shifting Axes of Global Power,” scale RAGE and FEAR into tribal clashes, with news and social media amplifying divisive narratives. PANIC/GRIEF fuels fear of cultural loss, driving clicks on us-versus-them posts. Incentives for conflict—ratings or engagement—drown out CARE’s potential for diplomacy. Yet, platforms could reward de-escalation content, like stories of cross-border collaboration, nudging society toward calmer waters.

Incentives are the dials—set them for short-term arousal, and society tilts toward chaos; set them for long-term trust, and we amplify connection. In todays world, these domains show our limbic code at work, but tweaking their rewards could steer us from digital traps to shared abundance.

6. Testing the Thesis: Predictions and Counterpoints

To stand as more than a story, this thesis—rooted in Panksepp’s affective systems and Harari’s biological algorithms—must be testable, its limbic pulse measurable in 2025’s society. Below, I propose predictions to probe how social media, news, TV, and commerce shape our instincts, tied to essays like “Social Media Addiction” and “Why iPhones and Cowboy Boots Are Status Symbols.” I also address counterpoints, ensuring the model doesn’t overreach, keeping it grounded for a world driven by digital scales.

Predictions:

  1. Outrage vs. Retention: Social media platforms like X, prioritizing RAGE-heavy posts (e.g., viral feuds), boost short-term engagement but cut 8-week user retention as trust erodes, testable via feed experiments tracking likes versus return rates (“Social Media Addiction”).
  2. Commerce’s Status Shift: In stable economic times, commerce platforms like Etsy see more CARE-driven purchases (sustainable goods) over LUST-fuelled status buys (luxury logos), measurable by sales data against economic indicators (“Why iPhones and Cowboy Boots Are Status Symbols”).
  3. News-Driven Fear: TV news amplifying FEAR (e.g., crisis loops) increases viewer anxiety but reduces long-term viewership, testable with surveys post-exposure (“Why We’re Wired for Chaos”).
  4. Geopolitical De-escalation: Platforms rewarding CARE-focused content (e.g., cross-border aid stories) lower RAGE-driven tribalism, measurable by reduced divisive shares (“The Shifting Axes of Global Power”).

Counterpoints: Not everyone’s limbic dials turn the same—individual temperaments vary, shaping how SEEKING or RAGE fires. My photography lens, honed over twenty years, shows this: one client’s PLAY sparks creativity, another’s FEAR locks them in tension. Positive affects like PLAY or CARE can be as sticky as outrage if platforms reward them—think TikTok’s dance trends. Culture also tweaks what counts as STATUS or FEAR, so predictions aren’t universal. Finally, no utopia awaits; balancing affects means trade-offs, not perfection. Testing keeps us honest, ensuring our model fits 2025’s messy reality.

7. The Playbook: Practical Tuning for Design, Policy, and Investment

In 2025, social media, news, TV, and commerce amplify our limbic instincts, often cranking RAGE and FEAR for profit. But we can retune these systems to favour CARE, PLAY, and SEEKING, steering society toward abundance. This playbook offers practical steps for designers, policymakers, and investors to nudge our biological algorithms, as I’ve explored in essays like “How AI Superintelligence Nudges Human Behaviour” and “End of Debt: The Abundance Flywheel by 2040.” My twenty years behind a camera lens show me emotions can be channelled—here’s how to turn digital currents into connection.

  • Long-Horizon Metrics: Shift platforms like X from rewarding instant clicks (RAGE-driven feuds) to 30-day retention or user well-being, boosting CARE-focused posts like aid drives. News could prioritize solution-based stories, amplifying PLAY’s creativity over FEAR’s panic, measurable via viewer trust surveys.
  • Valence Diversity: Enforce balanced feeds—cap RAGE-heavy content (e.g., TikTok controversies) at 20% and ensure PLAY (creative challenges) or CARE (community support) gets airtime. Commerce platforms like Etsy could highlight sustainable goods, tapping SEEKING over LUST’s impulse buys, as in “Why iPhones and Cowboy Boots Are Status Symbols.”
  • Friction for Arousal: Add micro-delays to sharing outrage posts on social media or panic-driven buys on Amazon (e.g., “confirm purchase” prompts), curbing RAGE and PANIC/GRIEF. My photography taught me: a pause can shift a tense shot to a playful one.
  • Affect Transparency: Offer users an “Affect Ledger” dashboard, showing how feeds target emotions (e.g., 60% FEAR, 10% PLAY). This empowers choice, letting users dial up CARE-driven content, aligning with nudges in “How AI Superintelligence Nudges Human Behaviour.”
  • Invest in Connection: Back platforms prioritizing CARE and PLAY—think social media rewarding mentorship or commerce like Patreon funding creators’ SEEKING. These build trust moats, vital in an AI-driven world where authentic bonds are scarce, as I’ve mused in “End of Debt.”
  • Policy Nudges: Mandate transparency in platform algorithms (e.g., X’s content weights) and cap high-arousal ads in commerce, reducing LUST-driven consumption. Regulate teen feeds to default to PLAY-heavy content, fostering creativity over tribal RAGE.

These steps don’t erase our limbic code; they tune it for 2025’s society, favouring connection over chaos, ensuring commerce, media, and platforms amplify our best instincts.

Conclusion: Choosing Our Knobs – A Path Forward

Our limbic code—Panksepp’s affects like FEAR, RAGE, CARE, and PLAY, wired as Harari’s biological algorithms—pulses through social media, news, TV, and commerce, shaping society’s heartbeat. These instincts, born on the savanna, drive X’s outrage spirals, news channels’ panic loops, Amazon’s impulse buys, and TikTok’s fleeting trends. Yet, they’re not our jailers. My twenty years behind a camera lens, capturing raw human emotion, reveal we can steer this code. As I’ve explored in “How AI Superintelligence Nudges Human Behaviour,” awareness hands us the dials to tune 2025’s digital horizons toward abundance, not chaos.

We’re not doomed to RAGE-fuelled feuds or LUST-driven consumption. Social media could amplify CARE’s empathy—think X posts lifting community aid over tribal rants. News could spotlight PLAY’s creativity, not just FEAR’s crises. Commerce, like Etsy, could reward SEEKING’s curiosity with sustainable choices, not just status grabs, as in “Why iPhones and Cowboy Boots Are Status Symbols.” This shift, envisioned in “End of Debt: The Abundance Flywheel by 2040,” hinges on choosing better incentives—metrics that value trust and connection over clicks and sales. Every designer coding an algorithm, policymaker setting rules, or investor backing a platform holds a knob. So do we, as users, curating our feeds.

Our limbic code is ancient, but its expression is ours to shape. Today, the choice is clear: let digital currents drown us in savanna shadows or tune them for a society where CARE binds us, PLAY sparks us, and SEEKING lifts us. This isn’t about erasing our instincts—it’s about honouring them to build a future where abundance means thriving together.

References

Essays by Aron Hosie

External Sources

The following essays, referenced throughout the thesis, are available on my website via the sitemap: https://aronhosie.com/post-sitemap.xml.

  1. Hosie, A. (2025, July 15). Social Media Addiction: How It’s Hijacking Your Brain and Mental Health in 2025.
  2. Hosie, A. (2025, July 6). Why Fear and Greed Drive Markets: The Brain Behind Finance.
  3. Hosie, A. (2025, April 11). Crypto Market Cap to Hit $12 Trillion by 2026: BTC, ETH, SOL, SUI Price Predictions.
  4. Hosie, A. (2025, April 9). End of Debt: The Abundance Flywheel by 2040.
  5. Hosie, A. (2025, April 9). Social Cohesion Crisis 2035: Blockchain Aid for Third-World Displaced.
  6. Hosie, A. (2025, April 7). How AI Superintelligence Nudges Human Behaviour: Preserving Agency in 2025.
  7. Hosie, A. (2025, April 3). The Wall of Wonder: A Human-AI Quest Beyond Being in 2025.
  8. Hosie, A. (2025, March 26). The Psychology of Cutting Losses in Trading.
  9. Hosie, A. (2025, March 19). How AI Advertising Shapes Your Identity in 2025.
  10. Hosie, A. (2025, March 3). Why iPhones and Cowboy Boots Are Status Symbols.
  11. Hosie, A. (2025, March 1). The Shifting Axes of Global Power: The Ukraine War, Trump-Zelensky Spat, and the Decline of the Liberal Order.
  12. Hosie, A. (2023, October 2). Desire: Erotic Art in Photography.
  13. Hosie, A. (2025, March 16). Why We’re Wired for Chaos: Decoding Behavior in 2025.

The following materials provide the theoretical foundation for the thesis, grounding the discussion in affective neuroscience and historical analysis.

  1. Harari, Y. N. (2016). Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. London: Harvill Secker.
  2. Panksepp, J. (1998). Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions. Oxford: Oxford University Press.