I was tempted to downvote as I totally disagree with your point of view :) Then I thought "he is a sympathetic good fellow" and I upvoted you as always: small acts can have big consequences in long time terms

Thanks for letting me know. :) Curiously, I feel the same way. I always enjoy and upvote your posts even when I disagree with them.

Reminds me of Tit for tat, which evolutionary psychologists sometimes use to explain reciprocal altruism in animal communities. Also a good way to play Prisoner's dilemma.

I'll cover this interesting topic in future episodes, along with the neurotransmitter Dopamine, outed at the Role of Dopamine in Gamification. BTW, I've experienced a severe addiction to code golf and now suspect Dopamine was implicated. Ditto for those who've felt "addicted" to Perl Monks (which also uses gamification).

The only other relevant brain chemical I'm aware of is the neuropeptide Oxytocin, well known for creating feelings of trust (crucial to good teamwork). If anyone knows of other relevant brain chemicals, please let us know, so I can include them in later episodes.

References Added Later

• The Evolution of Cooperation (wikipedia)
• Tit for tat (wikipedia)
• Grim trigger (wikipedia)
• Prisoner's Dilemma (wikipedia)