Deer and Hawk

Is dopamine bad? Books like Dopamine Nation and Dopamine Detox focus on its role in addiction and our constant dopamine overload on things like social media, porn, news, and drugs and alcohol.

But dopamine is really just a neurotransmitter involved in the pleasure and reward centers of our brain. It is necessary. These books and other articles make it sound like you should try to reduce or limit dopamine. But if you dig deeper you find that dopamine isn’t good or bad. Too much or too little isn’t nearly as important as how you are generating it.

I think I have a more nuanced relationship with my dopamine. At times I have been subject to trying to get it in unhealthy ways. Reward and pleasure seeking can lead to some strange places. Especially if you are neurodivergent. But I don’t think I have been overloaded on it.

I thought back to the things that gave me dopamine and hits of pleasure/reward. These are all things that have modest challenges and that are rewarding and made me feel good. They were from a lot of different seasons of my life and I was struck by how varied my list was, from hanging out with friends to rock climbing to riding a motorcycle.

But as I looked at my list I was struck that many of these things are not in my life anymore. I don’t ride anymore or rock climb. For a lot of reasons, I have gradually stopped doing some of the things that gave me the best dopamine hits. Each reason is a bit different. But the result is the same. I don’t do it or I don’t do it as much as I used to. I am definitely not reward seeking as much.

But, to be honest, I also replaced getting my dopamine these ways with some other things. Some of these are good. Parenting is a dopamine factory. But so is alcohol, shopping and overeating. Social media is a black hole of dark dopamine.

So I’m looking to change my relationship with dopamine back to more of the positive. I need more of the good hits not less dopamine overall. A year and a half ago I started meditating everyday. It turns out that meditation increases both dopamine and serotonin. So that has been a boon.

I then looked at my list and started making some plans to incorporate some old and some new dopamine inducing activities. I’d much rather plan a road trip than scroll social media. I am going to cook up some new recipes (cooking is a hobby I enjoy so I get dopamine from it instead of it being a chore), and then enjoy eating healthy and delicious food with my family. I am going to learn something new. I’m making a list of things I want to lean into. I am looking for a new creative hobby to get my creative dopamine rewards.

I’m finding my juice.

"What’s most important is to realize that searching for your juice is nearly as important as finding it. The search itself is life reaching for life." (Gladys McGarey and Mark Hyman, The Well-Lived Life)

Right now, I’m going to watch a horror movie with my wife. When we met, we connected on the horror movie genre big time. It turns out, according to one article, that the “stress” of watching a horror movie with the tense music and scary anticipation releases dopamine when the tension releases. Similar to jumping in an ice bath. The stress gives way to dopamine because the brain always balances your dopamine levels.

Some people get their dopamine kicks different ways. I think that is fine. Just don’t let it lead you to self-harm or harming others.