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Warrigal comments on Open Thread, June 2-15, 2013 - Less Wrong Discussion
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I think that common-sense reasoning states that if the idea of doing something makes you uncomfortable, then perhaps you should make yourself comfortable before doing it. To me, this "using oxytocin to counteract ugh fields" idea isn't obviously more credible or more useful than this common-sense idea.
If an ugh field is indeed a form of an amygdala hijack, one will have a hard time consciously making oneself comfortable with the task, because the amygdala responds faster than the rational brain. A neurochemical hack might work better.
What sort of neurochemical hack? Gwern's page on nicotine suggests it could be used to reward certain behaviors, thus perhaps breaking down ugh fields. I haven't tried that yet (I only read that a few days ago) but I've had a great deal of success using nicotine (specifically snus) to break down my general acedia and aversion to activity.
I meant the hack I outlined in the original post: increasing oxytocin via bonding behaviors to dampen amygdala's fear response.
What I said was "make yourself comfortable", and it seems to me like petting a dog, hugging a baby, and snuggling are all ways of making oneself comfortable. Maybe I was unclear, though.