Dopamine masterclass by Dr Huberman

Dopamine masterclass by Dr Huberman

This year I decided to fill up my commutes and idle time with podcasts. I wanted something that would be interesting and doesnt involve me looking at a screen.

And the title of this one made me curious so I put it on. And time flew by.

Andrew Huberman is a professor of neurobiology at Stanford and he explains the ins and outs of dopamine, the chemical responsible for motivation and drive. Most importantly, he does it without assuming his listeners have any scientific knowledge and starts from the basics as he builds it up. He actually makes this subject interesting. I wish someone taught me like this in school...

This podcast has really rewired the way I think about my life and behaviour backed by science.

Some of the core takeaways

1. Dopamine controls all our desires and motivations, and it is what causes happiness on doing something, but the more we stimulate ourselves, the lesser we will scientifically feel happy and motivated - so counterintuitively, its important to sometimes not pursue happiness. Love the process instead.

2. Addiction is chasing the perceived effect of dopamine, but not being satisfied with the lower levels achieved - Someone addicted to smoking keeps smoking to feel a hit, but it never comes at the level they want, so they keep wanting more.

3. Depriving yourself of things that give you dopamine is a healthy way to gain back motivation and enjoy those things later on. Example - A detox from social media is considered very healthy to increase motivation. A burger tastes really good when you have it on a cheat day. etc

4. Cold water therapy - cold showers, cold plunges are scientifically tested ways of constantly releasing dopamine and adrenaline into the body and being present for a long time.

I really recommend taking a peek into this one if you have time to kill but still want to use it in an interesting manner.

https://lnkd.in/gvTZTydk

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