In one of the studies, scientists took a number of rats and separated them into two different groups. All procedures were followed exactly the same for both groups. Each group was given two substances, one was cocaine (highly addictive drug) and the other was saccharin (sugar water). Each substance was distributed in a liquid form by the rat pulling a lever. For the first 3 days, all the rats went to the cocaine at one lever. As the experiment went on the results started to show the levels of sugar water going down, meaning the rats began to drink saccharin more than the cocaine. Scientists then commenced manipulation to the study so that it would be more difficult for the rats to get the saccharin and the reward would be less than expected. Yet the rats still wanted the saccharin. “Finally, the preference for saccharin was maintained in the face of increasing reward price or cost, suggesting that rats did not only prefer saccharin over cocaine ('liking') but they were also more willing to work for it than for cocaine ('wanting')” (Intense Sweetness 5). For the rats, saccharin is a more potent “drug” and causes addiction in the same ways as cocaine. “Nevertheless, the present study clearly demonstrates in rats-an animal species that readily self-administer cocaine and that develops most of the signs of addiction following extended drug access [34]-[36]-that the reward value of cocaine is bounded and does not surpass taste sweetness-a sensory-driven reward.” This not only proves but illustrates that sugar can be more addictive than cocaine. The result is shocking because cocaine is supposed to be the most highly addictive drug there
In one of the studies, scientists took a number of rats and separated them into two different groups. All procedures were followed exactly the same for both groups. Each group was given two substances, one was cocaine (highly addictive drug) and the other was saccharin (sugar water). Each substance was distributed in a liquid form by the rat pulling a lever. For the first 3 days, all the rats went to the cocaine at one lever. As the experiment went on the results started to show the levels of sugar water going down, meaning the rats began to drink saccharin more than the cocaine. Scientists then commenced manipulation to the study so that it would be more difficult for the rats to get the saccharin and the reward would be less than expected. Yet the rats still wanted the saccharin. “Finally, the preference for saccharin was maintained in the face of increasing reward price or cost, suggesting that rats did not only prefer saccharin over cocaine ('liking') but they were also more willing to work for it than for cocaine ('wanting')” (Intense Sweetness 5). For the rats, saccharin is a more potent “drug” and causes addiction in the same ways as cocaine. “Nevertheless, the present study clearly demonstrates in rats-an animal species that readily self-administer cocaine and that develops most of the signs of addiction following extended drug access [34]-[36]-that the reward value of cocaine is bounded and does not surpass taste sweetness-a sensory-driven reward.” This not only proves but illustrates that sugar can be more addictive than cocaine. The result is shocking because cocaine is supposed to be the most highly addictive drug there