(+)
Dopamine
多巴胺
TRIGGER
by
REWARDS
IMAGINATION
&
ANTICIPATION
To Increase Dopamine
”Reward System”
Have you ever felt disappointed on opening a birthday or Christmas present when it
wasn’t what you wanted? Or when you didn’t get that promotion at work? Or when you
finished a conversation feeling faintly put out by someone who took credit for something
you played a big part in? These negative feelings are generated by a lack of expected
reward, a lack of delivery of the pleasure chemical dopamine. Dopamine is the great
motivator. When we get it, we prioritise behaviour to make sure we keep getting it–
for example, being annoyingly hooked on a rather poor but ‘unputdownable’ novel, or
a box set where you just have to watch the next episode, or eating the entire bag of
crisps. These are instances of the clever manipulation of our dopaminergic function–
when our reward system is being played. It can feel so good yet be so bad for us.
Dopamine provides a powerful chemical drive for many things concerned with survival.
It is no accident that we enjoy the taste of food, water alleviates thirst and sex feels
good. Beyond that, what we are praised for when we are young sets up the mechanism
for what we want to achieve and win later in life–at work or in a specialised area or
skill, which is why it is so important to reinforce positive behaviours in children.
Dopamine plays a huge part in goal orientation and engaging people in change. The
signature feelings of dopamine are pleasure and need.
BRAIN-HACKING TIPS : STOP! Find something
to enjoy and appreciate in this very
moment. You just created a ‘reward’
and, in doing so, have given yourself a
natural dopamine boost.
GO TO TAKE…
PLEASURE & NEED