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# Dopamine

## Notes

* Dopamine is a neuromodulator that activates or deactivates other cells (for example, neurons)
* The dopamine system does not care about the specific goal or pursuit, it's about pursuit anything
* Dopamine is not just released when we get the reward, it’s released in anticipation of getting the thing we want
* When we pursue something, we’re always looking for clues to tell us whether we’re on the right path to achieve that thing
* Dopamine subconsciously parses between wanting and getting: dopamine system doesn’t just regulate the height of the peak at the beginning, it’s also taking into account everything that’s happening in between and funneling into reward-prediction error
* The hallmark of any addictive behavior is that it releases dopamine at high levels
* Reset of dopamine system from unhealthy behavior involves 30 days of complete abstinence
* Ways to increase the baseline dopamine are: sufficient quality sleep, Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR), nutrition (especially tyrosine), morning sunlight, exercise/movement daily or near-daily
* Cold water exposure increases baseline levels of dopamine for 2-5 hours – try an ice bath, cold plunge, cold shower
* We all have a dopamine setpoint: if we continue to participate in dopamine-stimulating activities, eventually we won’t experience the same joy from those behaviors
* Reward-prediction error = actual amount of dopamine released in response to something – the amount expected
* Understanding the reward-prediction error allows us to make better decisions about how far out in the future to place milestones and assess progress

## Resources

### Articles

* [A primer on dopamine](https://invertedpassion.com/a-primer-on-dopamine/) - Paras Chopra, Inverted Passion
* [Your Life Explained Through Dopamine](https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/your-life-explained-through-dopamine/) - The Art of Manliness

Podcasts

* [Leverage Dopamine to Overcome Procrastination & Optimize Effort](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-TW2Chpz4k) - Huberman Lab