A DTR with dopamine
I've been thinking about this one for a while.
It seems like everyone is talking about dopamine these days. How good it feels to our brains, how it helps us regulate as humans, and how the modern world preys on our chemical systems like a hungry predator... 😳
Dramatic, perhaps, but unless we start using this beautiful brain of ours to filter and decide how and when we access these dopamine mines of the modern world, we may soon find ourselves needing more and more and more just to feel satisfied. More on why that matters in a minute.
Dopamine is known as the "more molecule" in some circles. It's the messenger in your brain that says "That was good! Do it again" and "More please". Checking off a to-do item on a list, putting things back in their places, and the allure of endless novelty through scrolling media or exploring the endless internet are just a few examples of when this chemical response happens.
In his book, Indestractable, Nir Eyal explains that tech companies are fully aware of our brain's chemistry and how it works, and craft their products to gain and hold our attention. It's their business! Most of the time, this is where the conversation turns to shaming the "big bad tech companies" and how they are ruining our world. Nir presents a different view.
He suggests that all is as it should be - except that we, as the users, have the right and ability to decide when enough is enough. We are responsible for our own time, usage, and decisions. For more on that give his book a read. It's worth it.
My brother just sent me an email this week on this very topic. It was a forwarded message from Steven Kotler, whom I had never heard of but thoroughly enjoyed the email. In it, Steven discusses how we need to resensitize our brains to dopamine - we've gotten so used to high doses that it takes a lot for anything to feel rewarding, and we find ourselves constantly reaching for the phone, or a snack or scrolling our default scrollable page.
Like your brain is saying, "More. More. I need more!"
Sound familiar?
Steven suggests (as one piece of his proposed re-sensitization solution) taking boring breaks. Like staring at a wall for ten minutes.
Call me crazy, but this single suggestion was what convinced me that this guy knew something (No offense meant, remember - I have never heard of this guy before). Wall staring (or even better, in my opinion, window staring) has been a favorite of mine for years. Just take a break and let things simmer. Give yourself some margin.
If you want more on that you'll have to go find his website and get on his email list. I'm not sure how to cite an email, so if anyone has a problem with what I've shared kindly say so.
Let's wrap this up.
Why does this matter and why is the image for this post my cute cat Reggie?
Because I believe that our desensitization to dopamine (among many other things in the modern world) causes us to miss out on the depth and beauty of the human experience. It keeps me from being fully present in my own life - the one life I have to live and I'm the only one who can live it. I choose to take back my decision-making power and create more presence in my human experience. I think it is far richer than anything humans have created so far.
This process takes effort, time, and self-compassion.
But we can start and we can start now.
Give your brain some space. Own your decision-making power.
Move from mindless to mindful.
Resources I love:
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