THESE DOPAMINE SOURCES ARE KILLING YOUR POTENTIAL.
Dopamine is an important chemical messenger in the brain that has many functions.It’s involved in reward, motivation, memory, attention and even regulating body movements. When dopamine is released in large amounts, it creates feelings of pleasure and reward, which motivates you to repeat a specific behaviour.So one can conclude that dopamine is also involved in making and breaking of habits. Whenever we feel pleasured dopamine is released, but we have often opted for cheap dopamine sources.
WHAT ARE CHEAP DOPAMINE SOURCES?
They are also known as super normal stimuli. Supernormal stimuli, a term evolutionary biologists use to describe any stimulus that elicits a response stronger than the stimulus for which it evolved — even if it’s artificial.Some examples of cheap dopamine sources are: NETFLIX, JUNK FOOD, SOCIAL MEDIA, PORNOGRAPHY, and VIDEO GAMES. Everytime we experience them, they release amount of dopamine that would be impossible to experience in nature. PORN is by far worst of all. Though there are lot of other examples but these ones are part of almost everyones life.
OUR BRAIN ON THAT
When your brain is flooded with dopamine from these sources. It becomes too intense. Your brain goes like “woah…..that’s a lot” turn it down. So it turns down the dopamine response by reducing the dopamine receptors in your brain.That same stimuli you have been consuming gives you a less of buzz because of less receptors for dopamine to bind to. Now that you are not getting as much as dopamine from that stimuli and hence you need greater stimulation to feel the same way as before. So you seek that by flooding your brain with more dopamine. Your brain reduces the receptors even more. This creates a vicious cycle, reduced receptors need more stimulation and seek more. Eventually you get to a point where you have so few dopamine receptors that your reward center is “burned out”.
HOW DOES DOPAMINE BURN OUT LOOK LIKE
Dopamine burn out looks like:
- LETHARGY
- LACK OF MOTIVATION
- LOSS OF ENJOYMENT OF LIFE IN GENERAL
- CONVERSATIONS AREN’T ENJOYABLE
- HANGING OUT WITH FRIENDS IS NOT APPEALING
- PLEASURE FEELS IMPOSSIBLE
You reach a point where your reward centre is so burned out that all your brain wants are supernormal stimuli.. And it’s no wonder why: They are the only thing that allow it to feel anything now. This is a HUGE problem. Dopamine controls your motivation for everything. If your reward centre is burned out you’ll be lacking the zest, passion, energy and drive necessary to live a good life. If it’s really bad, you won’t even want to get out of bed.
CAN IT BE FIXED ?
Yes,you fix your dopamine reward centre by pulling away from these activities. If you watch porn regularly, cutting that out is the best way to start. It does far more damage than most of the others. However cutting back on the other activities is big too. Since most of them involve technology kind of stuff. So, one of the best things you can do to help your reward centre heal and function better Is developing some new habits that are less technology oriented. The more time you spend AWAY from these huge stimuli The more your brain will repopulate its dopamine receptors. As your brain heals you’ll naturally find yourself enjoying little things more again You’ll feel more drawn to less stimulating activities.Life will start to become all around more enjoyable again.
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