Dopamine is an active chemical produced by the human brain and a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Dopamine is naturally produced during processes that are pleasing to humans, so this substance is used by the brain to evaluate and reinforce actions that are important for later life.
Triggers of dopamine receptor are substances that stimulate dopamine receptors and increase hormone production . Scientists conduct numerous studies aimed at elucidating the role of dopamine in other processes - the formation of various addictions, cancer treatment, and even smoking cessation.
Dopamine, as you probably already know, is one of our four happiness hormones. Here are the rest of the members of this "family":
- serotonin;
-oxytocin (the "cuddling hormone" that forms when you feel close to another person);
-endorphins (neurochemicals that are formed in conjunction with
adrenaline when you feel pain or stress).
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for motivation and the very sensation that comes with achieving success. In other words, dopamine gives us an initial boost to push us towards our goals, and then increases our sense of satisfaction. Also, it affects many parts of your behavior and physical functions, such as: learning, motivation, heart rate, sleep, attention and others.
The study found that people with higher dopamine levels worked harder for a greater goal and greater reward, while people with lower dopamine levels took the easier route and lower rewards.
Low levels of dopamine, in turn, push us to apathy, and now we don't want anything - except to swallow our favorite Netflix series in one gulp. Because of this, not only today is going down the drain, but possibly tomorrow as well: as daily tasks stand idle, dopamine stores are gradually depleted.
In general, laziness breeds even more laziness, and if we continue to sit back without inspiration and motivation, problems can accumulate, like a snowball - and after this it will take a very, very long time to return to duty.
But don’t worry: even if you’re a chronic procrastinator by nature, we’ll tell you how to use small tricks every day to succeed and eventually reach that very goal. A nice little bonus: these tricks will work even if you choosing the easiest path is in your nature!
So how do we hack dopamine?
As clever and cunning as the human brain is, it can indeed be tricked - or, rather, trained to be fueled by small spikes in dopamine when we experience rewarding experiences. Basically, you just need to create an initial burst of dopamine, and the brain will do it all.
Algorithm for hacking the dopamine system
⦁ Break a large target into several smaller ones.
⦁ This will train your brain to link the dopamine spike to the task that you consider rewarding to complete. When you break a large goal into several small ones, there will be more such bursts, and the first of them will occur after the first task is completed. Use the resulting dopamine for the next task and the circle will continue on its own.
⦁ This sequential dopamine replenishment will create a positive reinforcement loop. Thanks to it, the flow of dopamine will be continuous, and it will be easy for you to finish things.
⦁ In other words, train yourself to set deadlines and meet goals on time. Create a daily routine with clearly defined deadlines (even if they don't exist) and stick to it!
⦁ This will prepare yourself for success and a steady stream of dopamine.
⦁ Choose the hard path on purpose.
⦁ That's what it depends on. If you always choose the easy path, you will inevitably not do enough and at the same time realize that your achievement, by and large, is not so great.
⦁ But if you choose the harder road, with more time consuming tasks, you will stimulate the areas of the brain responsible for motivation and achievement of goals.
⦁ At the same time, you should strive to put effort into the process: it is not enough to set tasks for yourself, you also need to complete them.
⦁ And, returning to the previous point: break the more difficult tasks into small ones and feed on them with dopamine to achieve That very goal.
⦁ There is nothing better than a strict attitude and determination. Set yourself a task and move towards its completion.
⦁ Thanks to this, you will feel your dopamine levels jump, and you can achieve even more.
Dopamine can become your reliable ally in conquering the heights of life. He can help you complete whatever you started and begin the next feat, but only if you know how to make it work for you.
Questions:
1. Did you know how dopamine affects a human behavior before?
2. Have you ever faced motivation problems? How did you get through them?
3. Do you believe that taking control of your dopamine level can change your life?
Sources:
Comments
2. I have. The one thing that helps me is keeping up with a routine. I've developed one that works for me and now always stick to it. Sometimes also the best way to deal with lack of motivation is actually allowing yourself to rest and take few hours off. This works wonders. Also, training/going on walks/meeting with friends - all of this helps me to clear my mind and focus on what needs to be done.
But to be honest, the one most important piece of advice I could give is not to rely on motivation but rather on building discipline. I find motivation itself to be a quite unstable resource, it usually quickly comes and quickly goes.
3. I believe that knowing that you can control them and how to actually do it might be useful and it's worth keeping it in mind. Hacking my own body does seem like an interesting topic and I'm curious about finding out more different ways how I can do it.
2.I have problems with motivation all the time, so the tips I see in the article may be useful to me. I had heard of something similar but did not use it because I did not necessarily believe it. Now that the topic is more elaborate and I believe how it can work, I think I dare to use this technique of breaking down tasks into smaller ones. Thank you! Until now, I thought that there would come a time when I would be more motivated and then I would do something, but often I did not want to... :)
3.I think dopamine dosing might actually work. In that case, it's easier to break the ice and take the first step once you know it doesn't take much to get your dopamine reward.
2. All the time to be honest. I love what I do and when I get hooked on I don't even feel passing time. But it is hard to start. It is hart to unplug myself from sweet laziness and start working. I actually came up with similar ideas to the ones you presented. My recipe to a productive day is a to-do-list. I make them for a month, a week or even for a day. Sometimes I even include hours needed for a task, so if I finish earlier I can have a break. The same thing goes for a week, if I finish the task earlier I can relax and just have a free day. This motivates me the most! Moreover, it works even better than it seems because I don't really take those breaks. When I start something I kind of roll with it. When I am a day ahead of schedule I find some additional projects to work on. The most difficult thing for me is to start. If I manage that I am fine ;)
3. I feel like I'm quite an ambitious person and I also have time for things other than work, like sport, games, a little arts&crafts projects. I think I'm fine on that field. Maybe I would appreciate a boost when it is time to clean or when examination session is coming... :D but I think it wouldn't change much.
2. Such lows of motivation happen to me very often. It is probably caused by a prolonged pandemic which affected my habits. In my opinion, the best way to deal with these types of problems is to break down your tasks into smaller ones. Thanks to this, we stimulate the supply of dopamine, stimulating our body to act.
3. Yes, I think it is possible, and I would even try to say that the control of anything in our body has a positive effect on our lives.
I feel like I am facing problems with motivation every time I’m supposed to do something I don’t really want to do or I don’t really like. But I try to remember that the sooner I finish, the sooner I will be able to do stuff I enjoy without thinking about it or stressing that something isn’t done.
I think that it might be helpful especially in situations when I feel and know that my dopamine level is low. This way I can boost it and stop procrastinating.
2. I take a few days off, laze and at some point I don't want to laze anymore - then I decide to do something. Unfortunately, I know that a lack of motivation can indicate depression. Often people say that "someone's not desperate, they're just lazy." Well, reluctance to make efforts on various issues can be a sign of depression and it's better not to underestimate it because you can do a lot of harm to someone this way.
3. Absolutely. All we think and feel are chemical reactions in our body. If someone is mentally ill, maybe they just have problems with hormones such as dopamine or serotonin? In this case, it is worth going to the doctor, or at least start playing sports and go on a healthy diet.
2. Truly, I rarely face with motivation problems since I simply don’t do things that I hate. Nevertheless, I have to do lots of boring and useless things, but I cannot say I think about motivation at that moment. Reflection about how motivated I am only distracts me from actually do some work.
3. I don’t believe that a small fact can change my life. That sounds too dramatic and extreme. I do agree that my life might become more comfortable if I am consciously able to control my state of mind or body.
2.Oh yes. Now that there is a pandemic, lack of motivation is my frequent problem. I handle it differently. Sometimes he drinks more coffee, sometimes I just can't handle it and do nothing. It is very difficult for me to deal with the lack of motivation when there are no opportunities and the only place where I spend my time is my apartment. I have no stimuli influencing me. Sometimes it is very hard.
3.I think these practices are too general. Their application requires an ideal environment. First you have to work through other problems to start working on motivation.
I read about that some time ago and I saw some videos on that topic. At some point I even thought about doing the "dopamine detox" but it never really happened. Not much of a surprise :/
2. Have you ever faced motivation problems? How did you get through them?
Yes, I have and actually I do face such problems every day. I am not a very hyped freak who is always super positive so forcing myself to get up and do some work requires some effort. I am however experienced at it so I know who to make myself do things and I never let myself ignore tasks. I might miss my deadline a little bit but I never come empty handed. Music and 20-minutes naps are my way to go.
3. Do you believe that taking control of your dopamine level can change your life?
Yes, I do believe that. I am not that much of a planner-type and I usually like to improvise when it comes to my needs. I can manage my computer setup or my car pretty well but when it comes to my health and supplements I am not that good at it.
Yes, I knew that dopamine affects our motivation to act and our emotions, which results in relationships with other people.
2.Have you ever faced motivation problems? How did you get through them?
I think everyone has faced the problem of lack of motivation at some point. I usually handle it by going for a long walk, then I relax and later I have more energy to work.
3.Do you believe that taking control of your dopamine level can change your life?
I think that in some way it is for sure. After all, it is scientifically proven that dopamine affects our lives.
Yes, I've heard of this before. It was after I heard a song from Pezet called Dopamina 😂
2. Have you ever faced motivation problems? How did you get through them?
Yes, I had problem with motivation once. It was because I was overwhelmed by the amount of work that I had to do. I didn't do anything special. My friends and family helped me get through this mentally.
3. Do you believe that taking control of your dopamine level can change your life?
Well,I guess that it's very likely. After all we are just a chemistry that is inside our bodies.
Before reading the article I had a bit of understanding on the way dopamine works but after reading it I feel very well informed on this topic. I think it's an important thing to educate ourselves on such topics since it may help us take suitable action in order to introduce positive change into our lives.
2. Have you ever faced motivation problems? How did you get through them?
Yes I have, I think most of us do face this problem, however ways of coping with it differs a lot depending on person experiencing it. Through endless experiences of procratinating instead of taking action, I've learned that for me the only way of getting through motivation problems is to get things done regardless of motivation lack or anxiety. It may sound trivial but for me it's the only solution. If something needs do be done just do it. If you don't, more problems will emerge.
3. Do you believe that taking control of your dopamine level can change your life?
I think that not messing around with your dopamine through instant gratification is an extremely important factor when it comes positive changes in the field of motivation.
2. Like everyone, I've had some motivation problems. How did I get over it? It depends on a problem. If it's puny one, like getting up to clean my flat, I usually leave it to absolutely last minute. I know it's not too responsible, but I'm incredibly motivated when I'm doing it on last minute. When it comes to harder and more complex issues, my motivation is something opposite. I'm doing everything I can that I don't have to do is last minute. It may sound illogical, but stay with me. When problem is small, i can leave it to the last minute because it has low stakes. When stakes are high, I'm absolutely petrified when I have no time to do my tasks.
3. Of course. Although I have slightly modified view. It's important to to boost your dopamine to enhance your life quality, but it's not key to change your life. It's pretty common to every video of that kind. It puts in bold one hormone/element, claiming it can alone change your life. It's only paritally truth.
2. Of course, I have. For me it’s mostly when I don’t understand what is the main purpose I am doing it for. If I get the full picture and the benefit of it for me, I will pull myself together to get it over with. The best option for me is to come up with the reward for completing the task but in the very end of it, not small rewards in between little steps.
3. I believe it might affect my life, not completely change it. Advices on planning given in this article sound like ones from cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, they are mostly about how to plan things right, but it’s not my favorite approach, I believe in motivation as a more complex phenomenon which can’t be structured in a plan or be driven by hormones only.
2. I face it really often like everyone does. My way to overcome these motivations issues is for example just to make a day off. It will help me to chill out and reset my mind, if I'm tired or just in a bad mood for doing some thing I will not do them properly.
3. I think that people already can control the level of their dopamine, there are a various things that can influence our dopamine level for example a simple chocolate can increase our dopamine.