We often confuse indulgence with living well. One of the key reasons we assume we are living well has a lot to do with brain function. Whenever we engage in certain activities, the brain’s reward system produces dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure.
The surge of dopamine activates our ability to feel pleasure, contributing to habitual patterns that keep us performing activities that bring us joy. The more we stimulate the brain’s dopamine production, the more we desire to engage, but over-production contributes to crashing, which produces the opposite of pleasure.
Excessive dopamine-seeking behaviors often create psychological ramifications, meaning we tend to believe that we must participate in certain activities to feel happy or obtain satisfaction. Understanding how our moods are activated allows us to gain better control and feel less vulnerable.
To avoid dopamine-related crashes, we need to understand the different types of rewards that trigger dopamine-seeking patterns. Here is how the reward system functions:
- Social reward – When others compliment, agree, or accept us, we feel desired and loved. Social media stimulates dopamine levels, especially with followers, like buttons and approving comments. The problem with social rewards is that they are inconsistent and rely on how much others like us. To obtain social rewards, we often become people pleasers.
- Token Rewards – Are obtained through services or activities we engage in. Token rewards consist of incomes, material gains, status, awards, or winnings. Activities such as working, various types of competition, gaming, gambling, shopping, and being of service produce opportunities for token rewards. The rewards obtained through services or activities can change due to job changes, financial losses, or physical limitations such as injury. Token rewards require physical engagement, which explains how folks get depressed when they retire or have physical limitations.
- Chemical reward – Chemical indulges, such as sugar, alcohol, drugs, and sex, increase dopamine production faster and more intensely than social rewards or tokens. The dopamine surges related to chemical indulging relies on our ability to consume chemical products at the expense of our health. Chemical rewards lead to physical dependence since it alters the brain’s natural ability to function independently. In other words, chemical dependency creates a dopamine shortage due to rapid production that forces the brain into overdrive maintain harder to maintain natural stability.
- Individual reward – The individual reward system produces steady levels of dopamine as needed, functioning primarily from personal motivation and a desire to achieve personal goals, which, when accomplished, spikes dopamine levels.
The brain works best when balanced and not forced to overproduce more than necessary. Overproduction of any hormones contributes to the following:
- Increased stress levels
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Brain fog
- Memory loss
- Loss or increase of appetite (often a side effect of anxiety or depression)
- Unstable production of essential hormones needed for body function.
- Imbalance
- Impact on short-term memory, which impedes learning.
- Fatigue
- Body aches
- Neurological disorders
- Mood disorders
- Panic attacks
- Slur speech
- Vision impairment
- Chronic illness
The best forms of brain stimulation the reward system comes from
- Meditation (1 minute to 1 hour, depending on your lifestyle and schedule)
- Rest – at least 5 minutes to 1 hour per day or more throughout the day
- Proper diets that suit your lifestyle – avoid trendy diets unless recommended by your doctor. Your brain and body require certain food groups to function.
- Exercise – it improves oxygen distribution.
- Self-care in terms of pampering – anything from massages to facials to pedicures to hair care will boost self-esteem mostly because you feel taken care of.
- Maintaining Healthy Relationships – In general, relationships induce oxytocin, the cuddle hormone, which is why we connect to people. (Literally chemistry)
- Sleep (the total hours needed varies from person to person, don’t worry about getting 8 hours if you are unable to)
Our body and brain work best when we take of ourselves. Regardless of how much medication or vitamins we take, we need to be proactive in all areas of our lives. There are no fast remedies or drugs that can effectively replace nature without side effects such as dependency or deficiencies in other areas. You do not need to work out or meditate for hours or deprive yourself of things you enjoy just to be healthy, but you do need to be mindful and balanced; otherwise, the excess consumption will drain your overall energy.
Copyright 2023. R. Castro
References
Chiu, P. (2020). How does the reward system in the brain work? Retrieved from: https://gotthisnow.com/how-does-the-reward-system-in-the-brain-work
Guys-Evans, O. (2021) Brain Reward System. Retrieved from: https://www.simplypsychology.org/brain-reward-system.html
LeWine, H E. (2023) Oxytocin: the love hormone. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/oxytocin-the-love-hormone
Selhub, E. (2022) Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626
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