What is your type of “pleasure”? Are you endlessly scrolling through your social media? Are you a fan of parachutes and mountain climbing, getting a kick out of danger? Is your “drug” of choice a massive piece of cake and fries? Everyone is pulled toward pleasure, but we all have different preferences for it. What is the culprit behind this chase? Dopamine. It’s not just about satisfaction; it’s about that desire to chase it. Let’s break it down today, and you’ll be more mindful of how your brain responds to different triggers.
What Is Dopamine?
Let’s start by answering the question, “What is dopamine?” to establish the basics. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that facilitates communication between neurons in the brain. Envision Hermes in your brain. Dopamine has numerous functions, but we’re focusing on its role in reward today. When you do something that your brain deems “good for survival” (like eating, socializing, or achieving something), dopamine is released as a way of saying, “Nice job! Let’s do that again.”
But that’s not the whole story; not really. Dopamine isn’t just released after the reward. It nudges you even before that, when you notice the cue, and that chemical tells you: there’s something fun waiting for you.
Dopamine & The Brain
Think of dopamine like your brain’s hype coach. In the previous paragraph, you read about the nudge before and after. That’s pretty much what a coach does, right?
If we look at it more closely, dopamine doesn’t just make us crave pleasure. It’s involved in motivation, learning, and goal-setting.
When we encounter something that is potentially enjoyable, dopamine levels increase, particularly in regions such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the nucleus accumbens. That’s when it affects our brain and says: that “something” can be pleasurable. This is what makes us crave some sort of reward: dopamine encourages us to set objectives and want to achieve them. Finally, when we complete the action and receive a reward, our brain learns this link and will remind us the next time.
Dopamine: The Good and the Ugly
As you’ve learned by now, dopamine plays a crucial role in how we stay motivated and proceed despite potential obstacles. That desire to pursue a particular goal? It’s the anticipatory spike of dopamine.
That’s what sometimes gets confused with willpower; some of us just have a higher level of dopamine when we face a cue. For example, a person who has learned that a short run will give them a positive feeling is more likely to repeat it than someone who hasn’t developed this association yet.
However, it also explains why we might be more interested in chasing something than in achieving the accomplishment itself. The brain releases more dopamine during the pursuit of a goal than when you actually reach it. That’s why some people suggest putting items in your checkout but not buying them — you get the same (or similar) feeling when thinking about owning an item.
There’s the other side to it, however. In addiction — whether to substances, gambling, social media, or even food — this system becomes dysregulated. You can develop the habit of harmful things just because the mechanics of dopamine don’t change.
More than that, however, artificially high spikes of dopamine are much higher than what your brain can provide. This overwhelms the brain’s normal signaling and rewires priorities. Over time, dopamine receptors can downregulate, which means more of this substance is needed to achieve the same effect.
What matters, though, is for you to know how dopamine affects your brain. This understanding gives you the power to be more mindful about external influences and internal responses.
Lifestyle Habits Boosting Dopamine
There’s no need to refer to artificial stimulation of dopamine with the help of “simpler” solutions like junk food or alcohol. You can make daily lifestyle choices that will help you raise your dopamine levels without the side effects.
Physical Activity
Whether you hate or love physical activity, there’s always something that you can try to incorporate into your day. It shouldn’t be something tough or exhausting — a simple walk or stretch will suffice. Exercise is one of the best ways to boost dopamine levels.
If you have it in you to make longer exercises, especially the ones that you like, you will develop the habit mentioned earlier. Dancing, running, cycling, or playing volleyball? All is great.
Get that Vitamin D!
Ever felt miserable until the sun came out? There’s a reason autumn and winter are known as “depression seasons.” Spending time in natural light can increase dopamine levels by stimulating the retina and influencing the hypothalamus. Science argues that morning light is especially important, but if you’re not a fan of mornings or just stay in your office at that time, go for any sunlight during the day. Just sit for 15 minutes under the sun and feel it touching your face — that’ll be enough.
Sleep and Rest
You can’t be happy or interested in setting goals if you are sleepy and exhausted. Inconsistent sleep and lack of rest severely dysregulate dopamine. Aim for at least seven hours of sleep per night. Plus, give yourself days of doing absolutely nothing.
Creative Activities and Play
Don’t let adulthood trick you into believing that only children like to play or have fun and spontaneous activities. Subscribe to the puzzle renting service. Start rummaging through your flea market for the perfect item to add to your home. Make a clay sculpture. Anything that doesn’t have any other goal aside from “having fun” will be a gift to your dopamine. Allow yourself to be curious and creative.
Summary
Dopamine, a chemical in the brain, is responsible for reward, learning, and setting goals in all people. Its levels increase before the anticipated reward and after it, developing a habit — these can stem from positive or negative triggers. To avoid the artificial spikes in dopamine and form healthier attitudes to pleasure-seeking, we can improve our sleep and activity patterns, get enough sunlight, and be daring enough to play around and enjoy life.
