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Understanding Dopamine: The Reward Loop, Addiction & How To Balance It
00:00:00 Master your dopamine
00:11:21 The Dopamine Loop And Cycle
00:25:38 Dopamine And Addiction
Master Your Dopamine: How to Rewire Your Brain for Focus and Peak
Performance (Mental and Emotional Abundance Book 11) By: Nick Trenton
Hear it Here - https://adbl.co/41yZY58
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW945VZY
Learn how to reset your focus, productivity, and overall capacity for happiness.
Yes,
it's that important. In our modern age, we are constantly flooded with
dopamine. That might sound like a good thing, but it means that we
constantly require more and more stimulation to feel simple happiness.
It's a very, very bad thing. It's the root of why we can't accomplish
what we want, and why we can't even feel what we want.
Transcript
Master your dopamine, how to rewire your brain for focus and peak performance, written by
Speaker:Nick Trenton, narrated by Russell Newton.
Speaker:The sun is setting over the bustling city, casting a warm orange hue over the skyline.
Speaker:It's a beautiful sight and one that used to bring joy to Jolie every night.
Speaker:But she can't help but feel something else, like there's something missing from her life.
Speaker:Little did she know, it's all due to the dysregulation of a little chemical messenger in her brain
Speaker:called dopamine.
Speaker:Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for regulating emotion and motivation, among
Speaker:other things, such as reward-monitor behavior, working memory, and executive functioning.
Speaker:Having low levels of dopamine can make people feel lethargic and less excited about things,
Speaker:even things that once made them really happy.
Speaker:Just like Jolie can no longer find joy looking at the sunset, even though it used to be one
Speaker:of her favorite things in the world.
Speaker:But what exactly are neurotransmitters and what do they do?
Speaker:Dopamine is a naturally occurring brain molecule within the body that acts as a neurotransmitter,
Speaker:sending information between neurons.
Speaker:Neurons are nerve cells that make up the nervous system, which consists of the brain and the
Speaker:spinal cord, the central nervous system, as well as nerves that connect to the rest of
Speaker:the body, the peripheral nervous system.
Speaker:It's a feel-good molecule, says mental health educator Tanya J. Peterson.
Speaker:It's part of the reward system, and when the brain creates dopamine in reaction to what
Speaker:people do, they feel good and want to do more of whatever it is that makes them feel as
Speaker:if they are psychologically thriving.
Speaker:This in turn leads to increased dopamine production.
Speaker:Thus, dopamine plays an integral role in many of people's most cherished experiences, like
Speaker:the thrill of exciting activities and the joy of connecting with others.
Speaker:Dopamine is often released when people encounter something pleasurable or rewarding, and is
Speaker:a key player in improving their mood and reinforcing behavior patterns.
Speaker:Interestingly, it can even be artificially stimulated by certain drugs that trigger its
Speaker:release.
Speaker:It's no wonder then why dopamine has earned its reputation as the feel-good neurotransmitter.
Speaker:Its involvement in amplifying positive moments in people's lives makes them feel great.
Speaker:When levels of dopamine are low in the brain, people can experience feelings of depression
Speaker:or lethargy, which can lead to an overall lack of motivation or enjoyment in activities,
Speaker:even ones that once made them happy.
Speaker:Examples of activities that trigger dopamine release include winning a game, learning something
Speaker:new, getting praise from someone important, or enjoying a tasty meal.
Speaker:More recently, research has indicated dopamine may also play a role in addiction and cravings
Speaker:as well as feelings of nostalgia.
Speaker:In either case, it's clear that dopamine plays an important role in how people experience
Speaker:the world.
Speaker:The neuroscience of dopamine addiction is fascinating and complex and can be debilitating
Speaker:when individuals become reliant on it.
Speaker:It's like the brain's way of punishing humans for seeking out rewards that aren't necessarily
Speaker:vital for human survival, but can often be difficult to unhook from, things like drugs,
Speaker:gambling, or compulsive eating.
Speaker:Underneath all these behaviors lie neurochemical reactions that cause some to become addicted
Speaker:by activating pleasure centers and inadvertently reinforcing the behavior of rewards seeking.
Speaker:Understanding the neurochemistry behind this type of addiction can help research to develop
Speaker:ways to better treat those affected by it.
Speaker:Current scientific evidence suggests that addiction involves changes to the brain's
Speaker:circuitry on both the psychological and physical level.
Speaker:These changes mean that the addict is likely to have difficulty with impulse control, emotional
Speaker:regulation, decision making, and stress management.
Speaker:Furthermore, changes within the reward system are thought to make addictive substances or
Speaker:behaviors more rewarding than other activities, leading to compulsive use despite harmful consequences.
Speaker:Even with advances in this field, understanding addiction neurologically remains difficult
Speaker:and for the research is needed in order to develop effective treatments for those affected
Speaker:by it.
Speaker:Addiction is increasingly being recognized as a brain illness, whether it's alcohol,
Speaker:prescription pain pills, cigarettes, gambling, or anything else, resolving an addiction is
Speaker:more complicated than simply stopping or exercising greater control over impulses.
Speaker:Because addiction develops when the pleasure circuits in the brain are overloaded, it can
Speaker:become chronic and even permanent.
Speaker:This is what is meant when individuals read about reward systems or pathways as well as
Speaker:the significance of dopamine in addiction.
Speaker:But what does it all truly mean?
Speaker:The reward system, one of the most rudimentary components of the brain, evolved as a means
Speaker:to reinforce survival activities such as feeding or reproducing.
Speaker:When people eat or have sex, the reward pathways release a neurotransmitter called dopamine
Speaker:which causes a surge of pleasure and satisfaction.
Speaker:This makes them want to do more of those things in the future.
Speaker:When a person develops an addiction to any substance or behavior, it's because the brain
Speaker:has begun to change.
Speaker:This occurs because addictive substances or behaviors produce an exaggerated response
Speaker:in the brain.
Speaker:They induce dopamine to overwhelm the reward pathways.
Speaker:This surge is vividly remembered by the brain and associated with the addictive substance
Speaker:or behavior, such as drinking or having sex.
Speaker:However, long-term usage of the chemical causes the brain's circuits to adapt and reduce
Speaker:their sensitivity to dopamine.
Speaker:Achieving that wonderful sensation becomes increasingly vital, but as tolerance builds,
Speaker:people begin to require a greater amount of that substance or activity to achieve the
Speaker:level of high they desire.
Speaker:Imagine that there's a gatekeeper who controls the release of dopamine.
Speaker:Whenever people experience something rewarding or exciting, the gatekeeper opens the gates
Speaker:and releases that overload of dopamine, just like someone throwing confetti when celebrating
Speaker:a victory.
Speaker:Over time, this continuous release of the feel-good molecule can lead to a sort of hijacking
Speaker:of the pleasure centers whereby even healthy habits no longer provide the same satisfaction
Speaker:that they once did.
Speaker:To break free from addiction long-term, it's essential to pay attention to both physiological
Speaker:and psychological elements in order to retrain the brain and create lasting change.
Speaker:A dopamine detox is a way to help the body rebalance its natural production of dopamine.
Speaker:It usually involves reducing or cutting out processed and sugary foods, as well as making
Speaker:healthy changes to one's lifestyle, such as getting more exercise, and engaging in
Speaker:activities like yoga that help reduce stress.
Speaker:Many have found that this kind of detox has greatly improved their mental health and well-being
Speaker:by effectively resetting the brain's chemical messenger system.
Speaker:This can be especially helpful for those with depression, anxiety, or ADHD, since balancing
Speaker:dopamine levels is known to improve symptoms in these conditions.
Speaker:The human brain is a complex network of neurons, and without them humans wouldn't be the same.
Speaker:Researchers have found dopamine plays an important role in overall cognition by helping people
Speaker:make decisions based on new experiences and triggering feelings of reward when a behavior
Speaker:is successful.
Speaker:In traditional research of rats, a spike of dopamine caused the animal to repeatedly press
Speaker:a lever to obtain a food pellet.
Speaker:This occurs in humans as well, for example when we choose to consume more tasty food,
Speaker:such as getting another slice of cake.
Speaker:We do this because we end up falling in love with the rewarding feeling the cake initially
Speaker:provided us with, and now we just crave that feeling of reward and satisfaction.
Speaker:Every time we partake in something enjoyable, dopamine is released, lighting up the satisfaction
Speaker:center of our brains as it signals a reward is on its way.
Speaker:This effect helps explain why taking part in seemingly small activities can generate feelings
Speaker:of pleasure and motivation.
Speaker:These events trigger the release of dopamine, thus allowing us to anticipate and better
Speaker:remember rewards.
Speaker:So while our lives may be too short and days too busy to fully appreciate all the little
Speaker:things, having an understanding of how dopamine operates within this reward prediction framework
Speaker:might be just what we need to make each experience more meaningful.
Speaker:In a game of chance, researchers looked at the expectation of expecting a payoff.
Speaker:Food flow in the amygdala and frontal cortex during the anticipation phase, when participants
Speaker:were told they would receive money, indicated activity in the nucleus accumbens and the
Speaker:hypothalamus, both of which are abundant in dopamine receptors.
Speaker:The amount of dopamine-driven brain activity was observed to increase as the prospective
Speaker:reward increased.
Speaker:Furthermore, human bodies are wired to protect us from danger, and the hormone dopamine is
Speaker:an important part of that response.
Speaker:When the brain senses a threat, it instantly floods with dopamine, triggering the fight-or-flight
Speaker:response and allowing people to act quickly in times of danger.
Speaker:This physiological cascade helps us react fast so we can either stand our ground or find
Speaker:the quickest way out.
Speaker:Dopamine acts as an alert signal for our brain to decide whether to prepare for battle or
Speaker:flee from the situation.
Speaker:Once it kicks into gear, it allows us to jump into action and potentially save ourselves,
Speaker:in which case we should be thankful for the important role of dopamine in the flight-or-fight
Speaker:response.
Speaker:A very helpful little bugger it is.
Speaker:The Dopamine Loop and Cycle
Speaker:The Dopamine Loop, and most minds are likely to wander, imagining excited scientists in
Speaker:a lab somewhere, and science fiction isn't far off with loops like this.
Speaker:The reality is that this loop is a key part of the central nervous system.
Speaker:The brain secretes dopamine when it experiences something pleasurable, typically either natural
Speaker:rewards or addictive behaviors.
Speaker:This catches people's attention and motivates them toward repeating them, hence the loop.
Speaker:A dopamine loop is a behavioral pattern that gives people pleasure through repetition or
Speaker:reward.
Speaker:It's a sequence of events and brain signals stimulated by an external trigger, leading
Speaker:to a pleasurable sensation.
Speaker:A few examples include scrolling through social media, playing video games, or engaging in
Speaker:any type of addictive behavior.
Speaker:Every time people do something that triggers them to get the same reward over and over
Speaker:again, it creates this dopamine loop.
Speaker:These conditions can keep them coming back for more, creating both behavior and thought
Speaker:patterns that are hard to break.
Speaker:It's an incredibly simple yet powerful concept to explain some of the mechanisms driving
Speaker:people's choices, behaviors, and decisions from what stimuli entices them the most to
Speaker:how they learn from experiences.
Speaker:Consider going an entire day without using a smartphone or any activity that brings
Speaker:immense joy and constitutes a significant portion of the day.
Speaker:Is it possible to pull it off?
Speaker:Consider Alex and his experience with video games.
Speaker:As an adventurous soul, Alex always looks for new ways to challenge himself and find
Speaker:fulfillment.
Speaker:One day while wandering around town, he stumbles across an old arcade with classic video games
Speaker:from his childhood lined up in rows.
Speaker:Excited by the idea of playing again, he eagerly drops some coins into one of the machines
Speaker:and begins playing.
Speaker:The thrill of competing against himself brings back memories from long ago.
Speaker:It feels like being a kid again.
Speaker:As Alex continues to play more games over time, his skill level gradually improves as
Speaker:well as his confidence in his own abilities.
Speaker:His victories authorize the release of dopamine, which makes him feel even better about winning
Speaker:each game than before.
Speaker:With every success comes greater rewards, higher scores on leaderboards, or bragging
Speaker:rights among friends when they play together at home or in online tournaments.
Speaker:With this newfound sense of accomplishment comes more willingness to take risks and
Speaker:push boundaries.
Speaker:What once seemed impossible now suddenly seems within reach, thanks to the dopamine loop's
Speaker:feedback system reinforcing positive behavior through its reward structure.
Speaker:Slowly and gradually, Alex starts to feel down.
Speaker:What once brought him immense joy starts to chip away at him.
Speaker:He's now stuck in a dopamine loop, and it feels like he'll never get out of it.
Speaker:Every time he isn't at the arcade, he feels as if he's going insane from pent up frustration.
Speaker:Every time he isn't at the arcade, he wants to be.
Speaker:He craves the thrill, the sense of joy and accomplishment he feels every time he scores
Speaker:high.
Speaker:He craves the sheer nostalgia that playing his childhood favorites brings him.
Speaker:Unbeknownst to Alex, he's become addicted to the dopamine loop.
Speaker:Some people are masters at moderation.
Speaker:They can devour one square of chocolate or just send one meme to their friends on Instagram
Speaker:before logging out.
Speaker:Those who aren't will have trouble even putting down their phone in the first place.
Speaker:This is especially true when it comes to controlling social media usage or, in Alex's case, video
Speaker:game activity.
Speaker:Alex's addiction to the dopamine rush manifested as frequent thoughts about going to the arcade,
Speaker:craving the high of achieving something.
Speaker:According to the arcade, check, scroll, read, click, fight, overcome challenges, win a trophy,
Speaker:read, scroll, click, smash, defeat the final boss, win.
Speaker:It's all too easy to get caught in the loop when there's no moderation.
Speaker:The dopamine loop, it turns out, is the reason for the never ending rabbit hole Alex and
Speaker:so many people get caught up in.
Speaker:As dopamine is released following pleasure and reward-seeking behaviors, it makes people
Speaker:want them even more.
Speaker:Have you ever experienced a post-desert high?
Speaker:Thank dopamine for that.
Speaker:The same effect happens when people receive positive social stimulation.
Speaker:That is, when they receive a small reward for browsing through their phone, playing
Speaker:video games, or eating a delicious meal, it creates a loop that makes them want to indulge
Speaker:in the same behavior again and again.
Speaker:Researcher Kent Barrage postulates that there are two complementary dopamine systems, the
Speaker:wanting system and the liking system.
Speaker:Dopamine is an essential component of the wanting system.
Speaker:It motivates and propels people to take action.
Speaker:The liking mechanism helps them feel fulfilled, which causes them to stop looking.
Speaker:However, the dopamine wanting system outperforms the liking system.
Speaker:People crave more than what they're satisfied with.
Speaker:They can get caught in a dopamine loop.
Speaker:If they don't turn off their wanting for a short period, they'll find themselves in
Speaker:an infinite loop.
Speaker:The dopamine wanting system is extremely sensitive to cues that a reward is on its way.
Speaker:Ivan Pavlov's seminal work on classical conditioning demonstrated the power of anticipation, particularly
Speaker:when it comes to a reward.
Speaker:His experiments showed that dogs can be conditioned to anticipate a reward, even in situations
Speaker:lacking an external stimulus.
Speaker:And Pavlov's famous experiment with dogs, the simple act of ringing a bell eventually
Speaker:caused them to become excited and salivate in anticipation of food.
Speaker:Even if no food was present.
Speaker:Similarly, if there's a small precise hint that something is about to happen, the dopamine
Speaker:system gets activated.
Speaker:If there's a sound or auditory cue, e.g. the sound of an ice cream truck fast approaching,
Speaker:or a visual indication that a notification has arrived, like our phone screen lighting
Speaker:up, the addictive impact is enhanced.
Speaker:The dopamine loop is maintained not by the reward itself, but rather by the anticipation
Speaker:of the reward.
Speaker:In this hyper-connected world, it's critical to build routines for completely unplugging
Speaker:from social media or moderating a hobby that's bordering on addiction.
Speaker:Overuse of screens has been found in studies to have a bad impact on posture, eyesight,
Speaker:hearing, and sitting too much can shorten a lifespan by years.
Speaker:Overuse of smartphones and social networking apps, such as Facebook, is associated with
Speaker:greater levels of depression and anxiety.
Speaker:The average smartphone only utilizes about 10 applications.
Speaker:Any successful app must establish a daily habit in order to entice people into coming
Speaker:back again and again.
Speaker:If people don't keep coming back to an application, it's not really going to be of any benefit
Speaker:to the creators.
Speaker:They need consumers to keep coming and using their apps.
Speaker:Platforms like Snapchat or Instagram have done a good job of keeping people tethered
Speaker:to their bling.
Speaker:The hook model is used by app programmers and user experience designers to accomplish this.
Speaker:It's based on BJ Fogg's study into behavior design at Stanford University and his habit
Speaker:formation model.
Speaker:According to the Hooked Canvas, the most successful strategy that social networking apps use to
Speaker:keep people hooked are variable rewards.
Speaker:A variable reward is a temporary satisfaction that eventually leaves them wanting more.
Speaker:Autoplay, unlimited scroll, chronological timelines, comments and likes, and automatic
Speaker:push alerts all offer people a steady stream of varied rewards.
Speaker:These unexpected and often random payoffs are commonly used in the gaming and gambling
Speaker:industries where unpredictable rewards keep players engaged longer.
Speaker:Contrary to fixed rewards, which remain consistent with each effort, variable rewards offer
Speaker:a more dynamic and more exciting experience.
Speaker:A great example of variable rewards is the slot machine game.
Speaker:People never know how much they'll win on each turn.
Speaker:Other examples include fruit machines, scratch cards, even Instagram.
Speaker:When users scroll through their feed, it's not always clear what types of posts they
Speaker:may find or if an algorithm may boost any particular post to higher visibility.
Speaker:Variable rewards are effective at keeping people's attention because they can't predict
Speaker:the outcome from one interaction to the next, so they keep coming back to try again.
Speaker:The variable reward of new and fascinating content hooks people in two essential ways
Speaker:for a mega popular program like Facebook, instant gratification.
Speaker:When people are bored or nervous, Facebook supplies them with a tailored and never-ending
Speaker:stream of new information and entertainment to keep them fully immersed and entertained.
Speaker:The second way is social validation.
Speaker:When they share their own opinions and materials with their friends in their social network,
Speaker:in the form of status updates and images, they receive social validation in the form
Speaker:of likes, comments, hearts, and shares.
Speaker:This regular practice of quick fulfillment and social approval generates regular bursts
Speaker:of dopamine.
Speaker:The neural networks in people's brains are rewired to do what makes them feel good and
Speaker:to check their favorite social media apps on a frequent basis as a result of this steady
Speaker:release of dopamine.
Speaker:When they check social media or play a video game, they never know what they're going
Speaker:to get, which is what makes it so addictive and habit-building.
Speaker:This is how app builders and game developers keep people firmly planted within the dopamine
Speaker:loop.
Speaker:Every notification on people's smartphones triggers a dopamine loop that begs to be closed.
Speaker:This is known by psychologists as the zygarnik effect.
Speaker:The psychological temptation to close this loop is frequently too strong to ignore and,
Speaker:before people realize, they've lost another 15 minutes of their time because of a single
Speaker:notification.
Speaker:This dopamine loop is challenging to break because of the combination of dopamine release
Speaker:in the brain and a conditioned reaction with motor movement, the swipe with a finger or
Speaker:thumb or the pressing of the buttons on a joystick.
Speaker:When it comes to motivation that drives behavior, dopamine often plays a major role.
Speaker:As it turns out, dopamine is much more heavily released by anticipation of the reward than
Speaker:reward itself.
Speaker:To put this in perspective, a lot of people may be more likely to stay up late preparing
Speaker:for an upcoming party than they are to actually enjoy the event itself.
Speaker:Another example would be if someone was on their way to do something they'd been waiting
Speaker:and wanting to do for quite some time.
Speaker:The bodily sensation of excitement and anticipation is often accompanied by the release of dopamine.
Speaker:That's why people often get more joy from planning for activities rather than actually
Speaker:doing them.
Speaker:The wanting part is often stronger than the liking part.
Speaker:This phenomenon can be seen in other areas of life as well, such as when people are awaiting
Speaker:a birthday or Christmas gift.
Speaker:All the build-up to that day creates a feeling of excitement and joy that usually surpasses
Speaker:the moment the gifts are unwrapped.
Speaker:The same can also be found in winning a competition or game.
Speaker:The long wait to hear who won, especially if there are several consistencies, is nerve-wracking
Speaker:but always worth it in the end.
Speaker:It's true that anticipation can sometimes supersede the pleasure of finally receiving
Speaker:what was wanted.
Speaker:It doesn't feel as thrilling anymore.
Speaker:It's the feeling of wanting and anticipation that sustains the dopamine loop.
Speaker:This is why people obsessively monitor their social media feeds for fear of missing out
Speaker:on something intriguing and why they constantly shape their social media identities by uploading
Speaker:fresh content in order to gain additional social approval in the form of comments and
Speaker:likes.
Speaker:As a result of all this, they invest their time and energy in creating these social identities
Speaker:on their platforms, allowing social media behemoths to better understand their preferences
Speaker:and passions.
Speaker:These platforms, in turn, create an algorithm that shows them enticing offers and ads that
Speaker:make them come back again and again in hopes of finding something new.
Speaker:Dopamine and Addiction
Speaker:The cold sweat on her forehead and the pounding of her heart are unmistakable signs that Emily
Speaker:is addicted.
Speaker:She'd been drawn in by the tantalizing promise of reward and escape from her mundane life
Speaker:into a world where anything seems possible, but little does she know as she partakes in
Speaker:activities to feed this addiction, that dopamine and its associated reward centers are actually
Speaker:playing a huge role in driving it forward.
Speaker:It started with innocent online gaming, something to pass the time when boredom sets in.
Speaker:But soon enough Emily finds herself needing ever more intense thrills to satisfy her cravings
Speaker:for stimulation and pleasure, no longer content with simply beating levels or completing tasks
Speaker:within games, instead she begins taking risks, betting heavily on virtual gambling sites or
Speaker:investing enormous amounts of money into stocks, hoping for large returns overnight, all fueled
Speaker:by the brain's desire for rewards based on the dopamine release from engaging in activities
Speaker:like these.
Speaker:Before long, though, Emily finds herself facing dire financial troubles as a result of these
Speaker:reckless pursuits and has begun losing control over them completely.
Speaker:She can't bring herself to stop, even if she wants to, because she's stuck in what
Speaker:psychologists call a dopamine trap.
Speaker:It is truly incredible how the human brain works.
Speaker:Recent advances in neuroscience have enabled us to understand the scientific implications
Speaker:behind what was once just speculation.
Speaker:Through extensive research, psychologists now refer to addiction as a dopamine trap.
Speaker:Essentially, the mind is trained to actively seek out and reward itself with dopamine through
Speaker:substance use or behaviors like gambling.
Speaker:Engaging in pleasurable activities can produce a powerful chemical reaction within the brain
Speaker:that triggers feelings of euphoria and contentment, sometimes even referred to as chasing a high.
Speaker:People can become addicted to the wonderful things they experience when they engage in
Speaker:rewarding activities, yet recovering from addiction is anything but easy.
Speaker:People's minds can be incredibly powerful motivators when it comes to trying to obtain
Speaker:rewards like those generated by addicting activities.
Speaker:The dopamine released during these moments creates a tempting positive reinforcement
Speaker:loop, a beautiful illusion of reward, often leading them down darker paths.
Speaker:When experts refer to addiction as being a dopamine trap, they're speaking in earnest.
Speaker:People's brains adjust when they are regularly exposed to the stimuli to make them happy,
Speaker:and eventually they require more and more of those stimuli just to feel normal or pain-free.
Speaker:The loop that brings them there is known as a dopamine deficit state, and it can actually
Speaker:cause melancholy, anxiety, irritability, and insomnia.
Speaker:The brain's circuits change over time and gradually become less sensitive to dopamine.
Speaker:Gaining access to that enjoyable feeling becomes more and more crucial, but at the same time
Speaker:the brain's tolerance grows and requires progressively more of that substance or activity
Speaker:to achieve the desired high.
Speaker:It's crucial to engage in dopamine releasing activities on a regular basis for the sake
Speaker:of feeling good, but it's critical to avoid becoming dependent on the release.
Speaker:It's possible to have too much of a good thing as the adage goes, and this is true for dopamine
Speaker:as well.
Speaker:Sex may cause problems for people who have trouble with moderation.
Speaker:Let's examine what dependence on a dopamine high can entail and explore some examples
Speaker:of risky dopamine releasing activities.
Speaker:Sex makes people feel good and releases dopamine.
Speaker:This can result in an inability to exert control over sexual thoughts, cravings, and impulses,
Speaker:which is referred to as sex addiction.
Speaker:Although sexual urges are natural, sex addiction only refers to actions that are excessive
Speaker:and have a substantial detrimental impact on one's life.
Speaker:Someone suffering from sex addiction may find themselves thinking about sex all the time.
Speaker:They're stuck in dopamine's wanting system and constantly crave and anticipate the pleasure
Speaker:that comes with sexual arousal and engaging in sexual activities.
Speaker:These recurring sexual ideas or fantasies might become compulsive or interfere with
Speaker:other tasks.
Speaker:The dopamine high becomes so sought after that a person might even put themselves in
Speaker:danger just to get their fix.
Speaker:Since sex is so pleasurable, a person may be inclined to indulge in it again and again,
Speaker:thus maintaining their dopamine loop.
Speaker:According to research, it's not uncommon for those who are sexually compulsive to simultaneously
Speaker:exhibit symptoms of melancholy, anxiety, and social anxiety.
Speaker:Food addiction is characterized by binge eating, cravings, and a lack of control over food.
Speaker:Food is tasty, and that means consuming it results in a dopamine rush that fills people
Speaker:up with immense pleasure and satisfaction.
Speaker:Indeed, research indicates that the impact of food addiction on the brain's reward and
Speaker:control pathways are similar to those of addictive substances.
Speaker:Cravings occur frequently, and gratifying or ignoring them becomes difficult.
Speaker:These cravings are caused by the brain's desire for something that releases dopamine.
Speaker:If people notice that their cravings are consuming them, they seem to be always preoccupied with
Speaker:satisfying them even when they're not even hungry in the first place.
Speaker:It's likely that they might have developed a food addiction.
Speaker:Additionally, dopamine plays a major role in alcohol and substance abuse disorders.
Speaker:The brain releases dopamine during activities it perceives as positive or rewarding, and
Speaker:those with a substance use disorder experience an exaggerated release of dopamine when engaging
Speaker:in the behaviors associated with their substance of choice.
Speaker:For example, cocaine, opioids, and alcohol all produce a dramatic, pleasurable surge
Speaker:of dopamine.
Speaker:This reaction encourages these individuals to repeat the behavior despite negative consequences,
Speaker:making it difficult to break free from dependence on alcohol or substances.
Speaker:A telltale sign of a substance addiction is when people continue to take prescription
Speaker:drugs after they're no longer essential to treat a health concern.
Speaker:For example, after undergoing major surgery and being prescribed opioids to manage pain,
Speaker:they continue to take them even after the prescription period ends.
Speaker:Chapter takeaways
Speaker:Dopamine is a naturally occurring brain chemical that functions as a neurotransmitter, transmitting
Speaker:information between neurons.
Speaker:It's part of the reward system, and when the brain produces dopamine in response to something,
Speaker:people feel good.
Speaker:People feeling good in response to something results in enhanced dopamine production.
Speaker:As a result, dopamine plays an important role in many of people's most treasured experiences.
Speaker:Examples of activities that trigger dopamine release include winning a game, learning something
Speaker:new, getting praise from someone important, or enjoying a tasty meal.
Speaker:A dopamine loop is just a way to describe how our brains react to rewards.
Speaker:Whenever we do something that gives us pleasure, like eating our favorite type of food or playing
Speaker:a game, the reward system in our brain kicks in and releases a chemical called dopamine.
Speaker:This process creates an intense feeling of pleasure, but it also serves as motivation
Speaker:for us to keep doing that same activity over and over again, hence the loop part of the
Speaker:system.
Speaker:Some classic examples of dopamine loops would be gambling, shopping, and playing video games,
Speaker:all activities where people often find themselves unable to stop consistently engaging, even
Speaker:when they don't really want to participate anymore.
Speaker:A dopamine addiction is an unhealthy dependence on certain behaviors that are associated with
Speaker:the release of dopamine in the brain.
Speaker:It can manifest itself as seeking frequent thrills like gambling, having sex, or taking
Speaker:drugs, or repeatedly doing something for pleasure without thinking about the repercussions of
Speaker:the actions.
Speaker:A dopamine detox is a method of rebalancing the body's natural production of the feel-good
Speaker:neurotransmitter.
Speaker:It usually entails decreasing or eliminating processed and sugary meals, as well as making
Speaker:healthy lifestyle adjustments, such as getting more exercise, and participating in stress-relieving
Speaker:activities such as yoga.
Speaker:This has been Master Your Dopamine, How to Rewire Your Brain for Focus and Peak Performance,
Speaker:written by Nick Trenton, narrated by Russell Newton.
