According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, an addiction is
- a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence : the state of being addicted
- a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly
Someone obsessed with learning would match the second definition: someone could be so basically addicted to constantly learn and explore various different fields of science, medicine and technology, in such a high cadence that it would negatively affect his whole life, his social environment, friendships, etc.
I suspect that this form of learning could be a procrastination mechanism, where one spends time learning even when one should complete other tasks (e.g. finish one personal todo list, or even just eating a meal at times). Maybe this can be described as "learning workaholism".
I wonder what the appropriate term or diagnosis for such behaviour could be (maybe "Da Vinci syndrome"?), and if there exists bibliography about such symptoms, behavior, and the associated treatments?
[Note: I'm not sure this is the right exchange for this question...but it's the best fit as far as I can see.]
