We are all dope addicts, dopamine addicts, that is.
Motivates
Dopamine is the chemical in our brain that gives us a feeling of satisfaction and pleasure. Dopamine makes you do things because it triggers a reward sensation in your brain. It’s the brain chemical that makes us long for things. Without dopamine, you wouldn’t even make an effort to get out of bed.
Highs
We always have a certain amount of dopamine, but some things trigger an increased dose. For example, chocolate ups the level by 50%, sex by 100%, amphetamines by about 1,000%! High levels of dopamine motivate us to do things. It energizes desire. Dopamine also helps you learn new things because it builds concentration. It motivates you. Dopamine rewards searching out food, money, fame, social interaction, or anything that releases more dopamine.
Low Dopamine
When dopamine levels are low, there is no motivation to do anything. You don’t want to work, and you don’t even seek pleasures, in fact, you don’t even want to move. When dopamine gets really low, as in Parkinson’s disease, movement becomes slower and tremors develop.
Balancing Act
Our brains are constantly trying to stay in balance. It doesn’t want extremes. Our brains don’t want unbridled pleasure. When we get a high, the brain wants to balance it out. We then immediately crave more of the high, but if we wait and allow the brain to balance itself out, the craving passes. If we feed the desire before the brain can balance it out, we gradually become addicted, needing more and more to get satisfaction. We can become addicted to almost anything. Some activities, those things that trigger big doses of dopamine, create stronger addictions.
Dopamine Cravings
Dopamine is not a reward, but it makes you seek a reward. The more dopamine something releases, the more addictive it is. Dopamine hits when you want something, not when you get it. That is why we are often happier before we get the reward. We crave the pizza more when we order it than when we are eating it. Some people naturally release more dopamine. That makes them more likely to become addicted.
Big Dose Rewards
The problem with anything that releases lots of dopamine is that other activities that release less dopamine become unrewarding. It’s why drug addicts only want to seek out more drugs. It’s also why many people would rather play video games than study. One releases massive amounts of dopamine quickly the other tiny amounts over a long time.
Smartphone Clicks
Many smartphone apps---like Facebook, games, and others---are addictive by design. We get addicted to our phones and devices because they are dopamine dispensers. Like rats pressing the lever to get a treat, we tap on our phone to get a little hit. It can be social media, YouTube, or even reading the news. It’s especially true for porn, as it taps into strong biological drives.
Gateway Addiction
One of the problems with technology addiction is there is no end to stimulation. Even drugs eventually run out, but scrolling on a smartphone never ends. There is always another show to stream on Netflix. Of course, these addictions are not as harmful as heroin or alcohol addiction. Still, smartphone addiction can make us more likely to have serious addictions. It trains your brain to seek out quick dopamine hits.
More Fun, Less Happy
Constant dopamine dosing keeps our brain in the seeking, emotional brain. Our planning and rational brain is sidelined, buried under pleasure seeking. This constant spritzing of dopamine eventually builds a dopamine deficit. The high creates a low. When you’re not clicking or being entertained, you get depressed. This is happening on a massive scale today. We have endless entertainment and less happiness, especially in the last decade with the rise of the smartphone. Constant pleasure is really no fun.
Optimize Dopamine
It’s not that you can’t ever use your phone or do something that gives you pleasure. Dopamine is essential. The key is to limit activities like smartphone scrolling that boost dopamine in the short term but deplete it in the long term. Resisting the temptation increases available dopamine.
Eat to Win
Make sure your diet supports dopamine health. Eat food that contains tyrosine, the building block of dopamine, foods like most meats, milk, eggs, some beans, and almonds. Avoid too much sugar and too much saturated fat. Vitamin D, magnesium, and omega-3 may also help.
Lifestyle
Stress can lower your dopamine levels, so find ways to manage stress or remove yourself from stressful situations. Sleep is also vital to maintain dopamine levels.
Exercise
It is possible to become addicted to exercise, but few of us are in danger of exercise addiction. Exercise does release dopamine and is an excellent way to balance out dopamine levels. It allows for a slower, more balanced release of dopamine. That’s not to say it’s easy. It’s pleasurable because it’s hard.
Do Hard Things
Rather than clicking the ‘dopamine button’ on phones, do something hard. Read a book, not a magazine, go for an hour-long walk instead of watching TV, plant a garden instead of Facebooking, or fast for a day rather than eating ice cream. Doing hard things brings longer-lasting rewards.
Limit Smartphones
Limit your time on Facebook, games, or even messages. Use the phone’s built-in system to limit time spent on apps. If you leave it up to your brain in the moment, you will keep clicking because your brain wants more dopamine. When you cut your screen time, you will experience a bit of withdrawal, as you are not getting the normal hit of dopamine. Find something distracting to do to get through this. Banish devices from your bedroom---no phones and no TV. Keep part of your physical surroundings safe from the dopamine button. Don’t let technology use you. Limiting device time can reduce anxiety, improve focus, and enhance your relationships---your real-life relationships.
Dope Rewards
Use high-dopamine activities as a reward for low-dopamine activities that are good for you. After reading a book for an hour, allow yourself 15 minutes of video games or another high-dopamine activity. But you need a lot of low-dopamine activities for each high-dopamine one. Don’t allow yourself one hour of social media after an hour of reading. Aim for at least four times more low than high-dopamine activities.
Be Alone with Yourself
To fight the constant dopamine dosing, take time to sit and think. Try quiet time. Rest. We need rest: both physical and mental. Unplug your pleasure seeking brain. Resist “always-on” entertainment.
Sabbath
Consider a sabbath. One day a week, avoid anything that releases a lot of dopamine---the things that develop a craving like sweets, listening to music, watching TV, and almost all digital technologies such as phones or tablets. Limit your activities to face-to-face conversations, reading books, taking walks, or engaging in other low-dopamine activities. You should be a little bored. A little boredom resets your dopamine levels.
Soul Gravity
Culture tells us we need constant pleasure, constant entertainment, and constant stimulation. What we need is balance. Balance intense pleasure with hard work. Too much easy amusement makes your life miserable. Slow down and unplug. Rather than leaning on fleeting pleasures that don’t ultimately satisfy, embrace stillness. Minutes of silence leading to hours of hard work sprinkled with moments of delight---this is what develops an anchored soul. With a solid anchor, you can discover joy in any circumstance.
