When love for live music crosses the ticket line to addiction.

Skipped out on rent to blow extra cash at Coachella? Scheduled a pregnancy around a Phish concert? How about letting mom’s birthday cake candles melt just to spend an extra hour with Dave?

Find me a harmless hobby or a gentle habit and I’ll show you someone who’s developed a full-blown addiction. We humans are good at getting hooked, but why? Addiction has its roots in a neurotransmitter called dopamine. This chemical plays an integral role in the pleasure we derive from sex, food and yes, rock ‘n roll. The first time you hear a song you like, one or more elements in the music causes an increase in the level of dopamine in your brain. This might lead you to download the tune and listen to it over and over again for days (admit it, you’ve done this). But after hearing it many times, the pleasure subsides because you no longer have the cues to make the dopamine to kick in as powerfully. In other words, it gets old.

This is why live music takes on greater importance for music lovers. Even the most manufactured pop stars perform their songs a little bit differently with each gig, and musicians who are known for improvisation manage to keep their fans not only interested but coming to shows repeatedly.

The ‘high’ occurs not only when you feel, taste or hear something that you thoroughly enjoy but also with its anticipation. With bands like Phish, Dave Matthews and of course, the Dead, the set list always changes and predicting which songs are going to be performed is part of the ride. As one song ends the thrilling deduction process begins again for the next song. If you’re right and it’s a song that you really love, dopamine, that wonder drug, kicks right back in again.

Concerts have a communal spirit that can help ‘feed’ the addiction. I remember watching the Dead and feeling a sense of connection with the strangers around me as we danced to “Sugar Magnolia.” (And it’s not just a substance-induced euphoria.)

Live music can provide a transcendental and very personal experience. Phish follower, Jon Bates, says, “It’s like a religion for me. It really gets deep inside you.”

Dopamine’s role in our affinity for music can border on the extreme. The general medical consensus is that as long as it does not negatively impact your life, being obsessed with seeing live music is a harmless habit. Besides, is planning a pregnancy around a tour all that different from trying to conceive in February so you end up with a little Scorpio?

Image: Carlo Cravero

The post I Did It All for the Dopamine appeared first on EcoSalon.

Air conditioning is overrated. It sucks up a huge amount of energy, costs a fortune to run, and some AC units spit out enough carbon dioxide to choke a water buffalo. Electric fans do a fantastic job of cooling your living space and though they still rely on electricity to run, are much better for the environment.

Let’s take a look at five gorgeous electric fans that will make you forget all about that hulking AC unit you’re used to using.

The Dyson AM03 Pedestal Fan is a completely bizarre and insanely neat bladeless fan that would look awesome blended into just about any decor. It’s roughly three feet tall and sits on the floor or a corner table, pumping out cool air to your surroundings.

This snazzy tabletop fan from Swiss designer Carlo Borer is made of solid European wood and adjusts to generate “a gentle breeze or a gale.” In other words, put this bad boy on your desk and set it to gently waft air around your face or blow your hair around like you’re in a music video. Either way, you’ll look hot while staying cool.

Casablanca Fan Company offers this chic graphite-and-dark-cherry ceiling fan that’s modeled after a European sports coupe. Depending on your room’s decor, this would work in a dining area, home office, or themed game room. The three-speed fan has a built-in halogen downlight and comes with a remote control for easy power and breeze management.

We love, love, love this bronze retro fan from Hunter. It’s speed and tilt-adjustable but, frankly, it’s so beautiful that we’d hardly care if all it did was sit there. It’s 85 degrees of oscillating cooling power is just a nice bonus.

Sometimes you just need a small, portable fan to tote around with you. Check out the Zippi by Vornado. It’s a tiny thing that sits only nine inches high and sports soft cloth blades that won’t slice off a finger if you get too close. Weighing in at just over a pound, this two-speed electric personal air circulator is perfect for travel.

Image: mark.bold

The post Chill Out: 5 Fans to Cool Your Brow or a Whole Room appeared first on EcoSalon.

Summer is just around the corner, and you know what that means: Barbeques, flip flops, day trips to the beach, and insufferable heat. Even as the mercury in the thermometer on my back porch rises a little bit every day, I open the windows and resist the urge to turn on the AC. But, the more my home begins to feel like a sauna, the occasional cool breeze doesn’t cut it anymore. Just when the temptation was about to get the better of me, I decided to see what greener alternatives there are for keeping my house cool.

You know that spare set of sheets you keep in the guest room? Soak them in ice cold water, wring them out and hang them in front of open windows. Okay, the decorator in you might object to this method, but the breeze that blows through will feel much cooler, guaranteed. On the same note, hang a clothesline outside and officially retire your dryer.

Face a few of your floor fans towards open windows to force out some of the warm air.

If you have opaque curtains, keep them closed as long as the sun is shining. Better yet, invest in solar screens. They deflect the sun’s rays and keep your home much cooler.

If you have tile or wood floors, remove any rugs.

This one’s pretty obvious for anybody with an ounce of eco-consciousness, but I’ll throw it in for good measure. Turn off electronics when you aren’t using them. Not only do they emit heat, but you’re wasting energy by leaving them on while idle.

Excess humidity is another element that can make a room feel hotter. Check out the best home dehumidifiers to help control excess humidity in your home.

For more useful tips, be sure to check out this article on MSN.

Image: ToastyKen

The post 6 Ways to Keep Your Home Cool Without AC appeared first on EcoSalon.