13 mindblowing discoveries no one will tell you about dopamine
What does the tobacco, sugar and media industry all have in common? They are in use of plenty well-funded dopamine research. With those discoveries they created sophisticated ways to keep us addicted to their products. Here are 13 mindblowing discoveries you need to know about dopamine and how you can use it for and not against you!
Every discovery and technique you will read are biological processes. That means if you do a correctly, then b will happen almost inevitably. The following discoveries can be like a construction kit: You pick the most important techniques and apply them in your life to maybe awaken something bigger in you, that you are not aware yet.
#1 Dopamine can be released just by expecting
The joy of eating a cake from the tasty bakery next door doesn’t start when you eat your first bite. It’s the moment when you have a call with your friend where she suggests to visit that bakery to get one of those delicious cakes. Right in that moment you very likely already know which cake you want and at that moment boom! Your brain releases dopamine. Just the act of expecting triggers the dopamine release. How can you apply this knowledge? For activities you enjoy doing, dopamine will be released anyway. It gets then interesting, when you are able to transform unenjoyable activities to enjoyable activities. Yes, that is possible! In the post 7 Easy Ways To Stop Procrastinatin I introduced this technique already.
How does it work? Let’s say you want to start reading every day. Grab a book that inspires you, or you were interested since a very long time already. In the beginning it may not be that enjoyable, but surely over time you experience a little feeling of excitement and joy coming up. Now you stop! Set yourself a goal of a specific minimum time to read. As soon as you start to feel joy coming up the first time after your minimum amount of reading time, you stop and lay down the book. With that move your brain stores this activity as excitement. Repeat this a couple of times and at the third or fourth time of ruminating about whether you should read or not, you will feel joy just by thinking about sitting in that cozy chair with a blanket and a cup of tea. Fantastic!
#2 Novelty triggers dopamine
A study conducted with macaque monkeys has shown, that unexpected rewards released dopamine quicker than expected rewards. As novelty wears off, the pleasure you felt in the beginning from the once so exciting experience wears off as well.
How to use this knowledge?
No matter which habit you’d like to implement or keep in your life, always try to vary a little bit. Pieces of oranges instead of apples with the cornflakes, working out outdoors instead of indoors, switching spots for studying regularly, reading some fiction instead of the self-development books, and so on. Most of us actually are aware of that, but variety is a hugely underrated and necessary to stick to our great habits. It’s not a matter of discipline, but a matter of intelligence to use our brain according to the instructions scientists have discovered for us.
Funny anecdote: I remember the drama series my mother used to watch frequently (she still does haha). These producers are experts getting viewers to keep watching their series. They always finished the episode when the moment was most thrilling. Are there any not so exciting scenes during the episode? Of course! But what assures the producers to keep their watchers is the sophistically cut ending of each episode, which makes every viewer want to shout “why nooow?” That’s your benchmark for this technique.
#3 Dopamine is produced and consumed by your brain at the same time.
Dopamine is produced and consumed by your brain at the same time: Imagine there are many radio stations in your head. And all of these radio stations play your favorite songs, all day long. 365 days a year. This is dopamine, a neurotransmitter. It’s the reward center of your life. Dopamine has just one requirement: It only grants access to your favorite songs, if you do something right according to the reward center. These patterns of what triggers dopamine are biological factors like the need for sleep, food, or reproduction and conscious decisions by yourself. Decisions where you someday defined, that jumping from a bridge with a rope once in a while is great for you. Yes, you have read correctly: You are also in control of what shall feel good and what not. ”Fine, dopamine is released, but who receives it?” Now we are getting to an interesting point.
#4 Dopamine is received by super sensitive receptors.
- Memory
- Movement
- Pleasurable reward and motivation.
- Behavior and cognition.
- Attention.
- Sleep and arousal.
- Mood.
- Learning.
- Lactation
Did you know? Depending on genetics, the amount of each receptors varies. Some people possess more receptors which are linked to movement. Some have more memory and learning receptors. The amount from specific receptors varies from human to human. This explains why some feel increased joy running a marathon, others while playing chess. Depending on how many receptors from each field are available in your brain, the more or less joy or motivation you feel doing something. With that we have solved the mystery how preferences are formed. It’s not that you are put on this planet with an own defined agenda. No, most of what feels great in our lives, is pre-determined by these receptors. But don’t get things mixed up: All of us possess receptors for each function. Otherwise, a few of us would never be motivated to eat or sleep.
#5 You are in control of the dopamine release while working
The Yerkes-Dodson law says, that if you hit the sweet spot of difficulty in your job, your performance and arousal will be the highest. That means you will be most fulfilled, when things you do over the course of the day are not too easy and not too hard to accomplish.
Find the sweet spots at work that provide you growth and challenge!
#6 Your ability to feel happiness can be destroyed
- Lack of motivation
- Fatigue
- Apathy
- Procrastination
- Low libido
- Inability to connect with others
- Sleep problems
- Mood swings
- Hopelessness
- Memory loss
- Inability to concentrate
- Inability to complete tasks
- Engaging in self-destructive behaviors, especially addictions
#7 What destroys dopamine receptors?
The overstimulation of our receptors causes neural adaption. What is neural adaption?
“If a hand is rested on a table, the table’s surface is immediately felt against the skin. Subsequently, however, the sensation of the table surface against the skin gradually diminishes until it is virtually unnoticeable. The sensory neurons that initially respond are no longer stimulated to respond; this is an example of neural adaptation.”
Wikipedia
This is exactly the same happens if we get too happy, too often. We just don’t feel the happiness anymore. Addictive stimuli like alcohol, nicotine, amphetamine, cocaine or sex and many other activities and substances are linked to a loss of dopamine receptors Even food addiction causes similar effects on our dopamine receptors. The constant fulfillment of our dopamine cravings makes us more and more numb.
#8 Is it possible to recover from overstimulation?
I did several dopamine detoxes with myself. Going cold turkey with social media and food gave me a huge boost in overall motivation and even confidence after several days already.
IMPORTANT: In case of severe drug abuse, please consult a professional therapist. This blog is no substitute for medical advice or therapy.
#9 How do I get my dopamine receptors back to normal?
4 steps to break a habit, the habit loop by James Clear.
A habit consists of 4 steps:
- The trigger Every habit or addiction has its very unique trigger in our environment. For smokers it’s the 9 o’ clock break with colleagues, for coffee addicts, it’s the alarm in the morning, and for the sweet and salty of us, it’s the simple move to the couch.
- The craving Even humans start to salivate, when they think, see or smell their favorite food. This is called a craving. You get triggered by the smell of hot chocolate, which results in the desire to eat or drink one. Not in 10 minutes, not tomorrow, but now!
- The response Eating the chocolate is the response to fulfill the craving, which leads to
- The reward The reward is the chemical mixture your brain releases, the moment chocolate touches your lips and slides charmingly around your tongue. It’s the moment you feel most joyful and excited.
In order to break a habit, you have to manipulate all stages of habit formation:
- Make the triggers invisible You have to reduce or eliminate exposure to the triggers. Spend the coffee break with non-smokers and eat an apple or anything else harmless during that break. Prepare a nice snack for that time. Do anything else exciting than laying on the couch at the prime time. Buy a new comfortable chair, eliminate the big couch or start the (online) course you were always talking about, instead of laying on the couch.
- Make the craving unattractive Write down the things that will await you, if you persist and break the unattractive habit. Put it in your wallet, post it on the fridge, the bathroom mirror or anywhere else where you are exposed to it frequently. It’s critical to reframe the feeling of your craving. If you do it just often enough, you will think differently after a while.
- Make the response difficult Leaving the sweets openly in a bowl on the table is probably the easiest way to keep them in your sight. Take all of your sweets, put them in a plastic box with a lid and store them in the lowest shelf of your kitchen. With that it’s a challenge to overcome, if you really get triggered to eat some sweets!
- Make it unsatisfying Yes, you can have the chocolate, but buy the one you don’t really enjoy. Alternatively, you can also buy a super expensive sweet, which is quite painful if you see the price tag on it. I used to allow myself to check media only while standing. That kept me from scrolling mindlessly through the feed.
All these techniques combined increase you chance to break a habit tremendously.
#10 Dopamine receptors can be increased naturally
Surprisingly a caffeine intake of 200-300 mg (One and a half espressos) a day increases the growth of the dopamine receptors d2 and d3 significantly over time. That means, through coffee we are able to increase the level of motivation and joy naturally.
#11 You can boost the dopamine production by yourself
5 foods that boost dopamine production:
Rhadiola, Ginseng
Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds Seafood
5 activities that boost dopamine production:
Cold exposure, Sunbathing and Vitamin D in general, Exercise, Meditation, Intermittent Fasting
#12 Lowering dopamine consumption helps to form effective habits
And it makes all sense: saying you made it to get rid of some of your high dopamine consuming habits, like strong exposure to media, pornography or the classic – food delivery – you will start to feel more happiness again with habits that trigger less dopamine than the activities mentioned above. The dopamine receptors mentioned in #4 regenerate slowly. Give yourself at least a week to let your receptors regrow and heal. Suddenly you actually start to practice the guitar again and stick to that new habit.
#13 Our desire to stop feeling miserable fosters dopamine addiction
Yes, trauma is painful. Yes, failure is painful, Yes, void is painful. And all of that is easily covered with distraction. At least for a minute, an hour or until we go to bed. But the time of the day will come, where we are trapped with the itches of our lives.
The more unease we carry on our shoulders, the likely the chance that we try to avoid that feeling. Blaise Pascal cited in the 1600s already that “all of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
What are your itches, and when do you want to deal with them? Dr. Anna Lembke has written in her book “Dopamine Nation” about her work as psychologist and tackled exactly this topic for you. If you’d like to dive deeper into it, give it a try.
Conclusion
Yes, we live in that time of the human history, where it’s never been easier to access pleasure. But all of this comes with a downside: feed a cat for one year and she will not be able to survive without your care in the wild world anymore. Recognize, that whatever you aim for in life, you have to make wise use of dopamine. You have to educate yourself about the buttons others can push in your brain to do what they want you to do. Don’t allow others to control your destiny by simply providing cheap instant gratification. Otherwise, on first of January you will look back again, and realize that there could have been so much more meaning and fulfillment in your life. Use this knowledge to build great habits, which are the cornerstones for the life you want to live.
I’d like to note, that in case of severe addiction, please consult an expert. Most of us are addicted to something, but only a few have the courage and power to get back control over their life. It’s absolutely normal to have an addiction these days. Please do something about it. For your beloved ones, your career, or future.
Ein sehr Aufschlussreicher und mal in sich gehender Blog! den ich mit großer Interesse verfolge. und bei mir persönlich mit sehr viel eigenen endeckten Gewohnheiten zum Nachdenken anregte.
Sie haben in vielerlei Hinsicht genau auf den Punkt getroffen ,da wir uns Alle immer wieder oder zumindest die Mehrheit von allerlei Süchten hinziehen lassen ob Medien, ungesundes essen, usw. und aus diesem Hamsterrad nicht so leicht entkommen können.
Danke für diese Wertvollen Hinweise und Tipps.
Freuen uns auf weitere Besten Dank.
A very insightful blog! which I follow with great interest. and made me think personally with a lot of my own discovered habits.
In many respects you hit the spot, because we all let ourselves be drawn into all sorts of addictions again and again, or at least the majority, whether media, unhealthy eating, etc. and cannot escape this hamster wheel so easily.
Thank you for these valuable hints and tips.
Looking forward to more thanks.
Glad that you enjoyed the content!
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