Since the emergence of Homo sapiens around 200,000 years ago, the period during which humanity has enjoyed an era of abundance like the modern age is extremely short. If we convert human history into a 24-hour day, the advent of agriculture, which allowed for the storage of food corresponds to approximately 10:48 PM on the 24-hour scale.

During the hunter-gatherer era, humans had to efficiently store nutrients whenever they had the rare opportunity to eat. Insulin played a crucial role in this survival mechanism. Furthermore, the sense of accomplishment and joy felt after a successful hunt was due to dopamine. This hormone recognized the success of the hunt as a reward, encouraging continuous hunting efforts and aiding survival. It also helped remember positive experiences, leading to the use of similar strategies in future hunts. Thus, dopamine played a vital role in human survival through hunting.

However, in modern society, our bodies, which have adapted to survive over hundreds of thousands of years, are overwhelmed by the abundance of food and numerous stimuli and temptations. In his talk, Dr. Bae will  explain the importance of understanding insulin and dopamine, which are easily affected in modern life, and find ways to manage them.

*Event is exclusive to CKS Visiting Scholars, graduate/undergraduate students, and faculty

Sponsor(s): Center for Korean Studies