Why Dopamine Makes Good Habits Difficult— and What To Do About It.
I recently landed my first backflip off a four-inch gymnastics mat — a major achievement on my months-long journey to completing a standing backflip. I was ecstatic about this milestone, so I posted a video of it on my Instagram Stories. I expected positive comments and likes to flood in, but instead, only a handful of people “liked” the story, and it received just two comments: one from someone trying to sell me video editing services, and the other from my son Chase telling me to start the tuck in my flip earlier.
I posted on a Saturday, and over the ensuing 24 hours the story was live, I checked my phone more times than I care to admit. Each time I opened the Instagram app, I felt a short jolt of excitement, followed by a small letdown. That day, I was also writing a speech, and I found myself constantly switching between writing my speech, counting reactions on Instagram, and checking in on my fantasy football matchup (I lost). I know I’m not alone in this experience. In fact, apps like Instagram are designed for precisely this response – they provide brief, intense spikes of dopamine that keep us coming back multiple times per day, in search of more.
Over the years, I have experimented extensively with my relationship with dopamine. I’ve given up drinking alcohol, consuming caffeine, and eating gluten. I’ve tried to change my environment to remove dopamine-inducing distractions by working without access to my phone or Wi-Fi. I’ve added sources of dopamine that seem to serve me better, like taking cold showers, exercising, meditating, and writing. And yet, like all of us, I continue to have urges for quick hits of dopamine — or urges to view email and texts, watch YouTube videos, and obsessively check Instagram and TikTok after a post.
Whether we’re refreshing social media, drinking alcohol, or seeking pleasure from myriad other sources, the relentless pursuit of dopamine is a thread that binds all of humanity. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that acts like a courier in the brain, passing messages between brain cells. When we have a pleasurable or rewarding experience, our brains release dopamine, which sends us the message, “Do that again!” The fleeting joy we feel reinforces the behavior that releases the dopamine and motivates us to seek similar rewards in the future. Whether we like it or not, this is how we are wired.
“The relentless pursuit of dopamine is a thread that binds all of humanity.”
The question is not whether we will pursue dopamine, but rather, in what form?
I believe how and where we pursue dopamine determines the quality of our lives, and that we have much more agency in the process than we often realize.
How will you get your dopamine?
NOTE: For simplicity, I use the term “dopamine” to describe a broader group of neurotransmitters that influence mood, motivation, pleasure, and reward including serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins, and others.
Two Problems with Dopamine
Problem 1: We are wired for quick hits
In a famous experiment from the 1950s, James Olds and Peter Milner implanted electrodes in the brains of rats and allowed them to self-regulate the release of dopamine and other neurotransmitters in their brains’ pleasure centers. The rats quickly became so engrossed in self-stimulation that they would repeatedly press the lever to the point of ignoring other essential behaviors, like eating and drinking. While this study may seem extreme, we humans behave in shockingly similar ways. As dopamine-seeking creatures, we are wired to seek the quickest and easiest sources of dopamine. These “cheap” sources are often associated with poor habits or addictive behavior. They can include checking our phones, scrolling through social media, watching Netflix, smoking, drinking caffeine, drinking alcohol, doing drugs, gambling, overeating, or generally over-doing any temporarily pleasurable behaviors.
“We are wired to seek the quickest and easiest sources of dopamine.”
Problem 2: We experience a reduction of dopamine receptors over time
The brain, seeking balance, often responds to overstimulation through a process called downregulation, in which the brain reduces the number of dopamine receptors associated with these substances or behaviors, eventually diminishing our sense of pleasure. Over time, activities or substances that previously gave us tremendous pleasure don’t work as well, which can leave us feeling depressed or unmotivated and craving increased levels of them. The need to consume more to get the same rewards, and the crash that follows a reduction of the dopamine-inducing activity, is the cycle that can lead to addiction and can control our lives if we aren’t careful.
Controlling Dopamine Cravings
Note: While I am going to offer six ideas below to help control dopamine cravings, these changes are not easy. These topics involve very powerful brain chemicals, entrenched patterns of behavior, and potentially even addiction. I am not a doctor and I’m not offering medical advice. If you or someone you know has an issue with addiction, please seek guidance from a medical professional.
1. Identify what you’re avoiding
In her book, “Dopamine Nation,” Anna Lembke writes, “The relentless pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain leads to pain.” Many of us seek cheap dopamine to avoid or escape something in our lives. It may be helpful to identify what you’re avoiding, and to face the thing in your life that is causing you to seek out harmful behaviors in search of dopamine. If the underlying cause of your habit doesn’t immediately come to mind, ask yourself “why” until you have an answer that feels like the bottom of the issue. Journaling and seeking therapy are healthy ways to identify and ultimately address the issues we tend to avoid.
“Many of us seek cheap dopamine to avoid or escape something in our lives.”
2. Focus on “flow”
In his book, “Flow,” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi writes about “flow”, the state of full immersion in an activity to the point we lose track of time, forget our worries, and become one with the task at hand. We can seek out flow-inducing activities like exercising, meditating, running, playing chess, gardening, reading a book, or even engaging in good conversation. Characterized by intense focus, heightened creativity, and a deep sense of enjoyment, these behaviors typically take relatively longer to reward us with dopamine (they are not “cheap” sources), but often provide a much longer-lasting reward — and without the corresponding crash. Csikszentmihalyi contends spending as much time in flow as possible is the secret to a fulfilling life.
3. Set and achieve small goals
The anticipation and reward system involved in setting goals closely aligns with our brains’ dopamine reward mechanisms. We release dopamine when we set and visualize the achievement of our goals, then we release even more dopamine when we achieve milestones toward our goals or achieve the goals themselves. Actively writing, visualizing, rewriting, and working toward your goals will increase your dopamine levels, while also helping you work toward and achieve things in this life which you find meaningful. Create a habit around goal setting that will improve your overall life satisfaction.
4. Abstain from negative behaviors
This may be a blinding glimpse of the obvious, but in order to reset our brain’s sensitivity to a specific behavior or substance and stop the cycle of the reduction of dopamine receptors, we need to stop doing that activity or consuming that substance. Abstinence can reset our neural pathways and allow us to enjoy some of life’s simpler pleasures again. Depending on the type of behavior and the length of your habit, the period of abstinence required can vary. Some with alcohol use disorder, for example, may experience major disruptions in their dopamine pathways and may need long or even permanent periods of abstinence begun under supervision from professionals who know how to safely wean the body’s physical addiction. For less severe situations, simply making the commitment to yourself with the support of a trusted friend could be sufficient. Practicing abstinence is hard, but it is one of the only proven ways to reset your body’s dependence on substances or behaviors.
5. Pain first, then pleasure
Studies have shown that activities during which we first experience something “difficult” or “painful,” like running, meditating, lifting weights, or taking an ice bath can promote the growth of dopamine receptors in some areas of the brain, improve dopamine signaling, and/or activate the body’s stress response which can release dopamine or endorphins. If you tend to avoid situations that make you uncomfortable, maybe start with ten minutes of meditation, one exercise class, or another simple activity that safely challenges you and build from there.
6. Increase your dopamine levels naturally
There are many ways you can increase your baseline levels of dopamine naturally. These activities include increasing your protein intake, decreasing your consumption of fatty acids, getting regular exposure to sunlight, getting ample sleep, exercising and meditating.
“Untwisting” Your Relationship with Dopamine
After a long period in 2015 when I was down, anxious, and unmotivated, I started trying to change my relationship with several substances that gave me hits of dopamine. Initially, when I tried making changes to my life, like giving up alcohol or caffeine, I found that I not only lost the buzz or high that came from those substances, but I also lost the “escape” from whatever I was trying to avoid. The first several months were hard, and the withdrawal was so painful that I relapsed several times in attempting to quit both alcohol and caffeine. After many tries over several months, I finally quit. Once I pushed past the withdrawal, my brain seemed to reset, and I experienced significantly less cravings. I did give up the highs and escape from the challenges in my life, but I was able to take much more pleasure in daily activities like reading, playing with my kids, working out, and having conversations with friends.
Dopamine is an incredibly powerful driver of behavior. Over time, cheap dopamine sources become less effective and can leave us feeling down, lost, or unsatisfied with life as we continually seek more. The first weapon in improving our relationship with dopamine is awareness. Pay attention to your tendencies — when do you reach for a drink, a fifth cookie, or an Instagram like to cope? When you find yourself bending over backwards for cheap hits of dopamine, consider abstinence from your most ingrained habits, engage in flow-inducing activities, face the things you’re avoiding, and consider adding activities that produce somewhat delayed gratification.
Behavior change is not easy, so be patient. You didn’t develop these habits overnight, and your cravings won’t change overnight, either. However, the payoff is significant. Changing your relationship with dopamine is one of the most powerful things you can do to meaningfully change the quality of your life.
How do you want to get your dopamine?
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