Interesting blurb which negates the opportunity to explore the mental flow we acquire through the state which programmers go through when working through a problem set or pet project.

Though I agree that avid learners new to programming concepts may experience anxiety or euphoria depending on the problems which they are working on defeating. I wouldn't necessarily call it an addiction; no more than I would suggest that a musician is addicted to playing their instrument or writer is addicted to creating prose.

The art of programming in which begins with exploring computational programming models and processes ultimately ends with the craft in which itself is as fluid as a master composer composing whom subsequently is also a master musician.

Though it's that "Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years" which may be what TFA is referring. Not everyone programs inside skinner's box, even in their early years of programming. There is better research on the subject than this generalized blog post which is far from aphoristic of the effects of computer programming on the brain.