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 - Paras Chopra, Inverted Passion
• Your Life Explained Through Dopamine - The Art of Manliness

Podcasts

• Leverage Dopamine to Overcome Procrastination & Optimize Effort - Huberman Lab