How To Reset Your Brain's Dopamine Balance - Anna Lembke | Modern Wisdom Podcast 392

The video explores the impact of excessive dopamine intake, addiction, and the importance of finding balance in a world of overwhelming abundance through behavioral interventions and meaningful activities 

Questions to inspire discussion

• What is the impact of excessive dopamine intake?

  —Excessive dopamine intake leads to down regulation of our own dopamine production and transmission, resulting in chronic dopamine deficit state and addiction.

• How does the brain restore balance between pleasure and pain?

  —Pleasure and pain are processed in the same part of the brain, and the brain works to restore a level balance by tipping it an equal and opposite amount to the side of pain, leading to a chronic dopamine deficit state if repeatedly exposed to highly reinforcing drugs and behaviors.

• Why is our dopamine balance no longer adaptive in a world of overwhelming abundance?

  —Our dopamine balance was adapted for most of human existence but is no longer adaptive in a world of overwhelming abundance.

• What is the connection between chronic pain and pleasure?

  —People with chronic pain have a harder time experiencing pleasure due to the body's desire to return to its baseline state, leading to a vicious cycle of needing more to feel less pleasure and experiencing a stronger after-effect of dopamine deficit.

• How does social media contribute to addiction?

  —Social media can be addictive because it releases dopamine when we connect with others, but it also has the potential to drug-ify human connection due to its easy access, quantity, potency, and novelty. 

Key Insights 

Dopamine and Addiction

• 🧠 Our brains can become so dependent on dopamine that we enter a chronic dopamine deficit state, where nothing else is enjoyable except our drug of choice.
• 🧠 Pleasure and pain are processed in the same part of the brain, and the brain works hard to restore a level balance or homeostasis, which can lead to a chronic dopamine deficit state.
• 😌 Dopamine fluctuations above baseline can create feelings of euphoria and well-being, while fluctuations below baseline can lead to restlessness and anxiety, driving the motivation to seek out addictive substances.
• 😮 Seeking constant comfort and reward in a dopamine overloaded world is ultimately futile, as the harder we try, the larger the price we pay in terms of a dopamine deficit state.
• 🌍 Sex addiction and pornography are significant and growing problems that need more open discussion.
• 📚 "I got addicted to romance novels...not consistent with my values really embarrassing to talk about." - Anna Lembke highlights the addictive nature of socially sanctioned pornography for women, shedding light on a controversial topic.
• 🧠 The final common pathway for all addictive substances and behaviors is dopamine, which is considered the currency used by neuroscientists to measure addictive potential.
• 😮 By focusing on helping patients stop their drug of choice instead of targeting their depression and anxiety directly, they experienced significant improvements in their mental health within 30 days.
• 🔄 The intervention for resetting the brain's dopamine balance is to stop using the drug, allow natural dopamine transmission to upregulate, and if using the drug again, do so in moderation to avoid falling into the dopamine deficit state.
• 🧠 Addiction is a complex biopsychosocial disease that requires biological, psychological, and social interventions, including behavioral changes and environmental adjustments.

Finding Meaning and Purpose

• 🏠 Having intimate supportive human connections and meaningful work can decrease the risk of addiction.
• 🧠 People who actively participate in religious organizations are at decreased risk of becoming addicted because they are getting their dopamine in more adaptive ways through intimate supportive human connections and finding meaning and purpose in life.
• 😌 Finding a deeper sense of purpose and connecting with meaningful activities can provide a more sustainable and continuous sense of pleasure in life, compared to constantly chasing dopamine hits.
• 🌟 Shifting our focus from the pursuit of pleasure to finding meaning and purpose in life is crucial for our overall well-being.
• 🌍 If we don't rapidly change our constant consumption habits related to smoking, diet, and lack of exercise, the data suggests that we may face extinction as 70% of global deaths are attributable to these modifiable risk factors.

Social Media and Dopamine

• 📱 Social media has essentially turned human connection into a drug-like experience, tapping into our innate desire for social interaction and triggering the release of dopamine in the reward pathway.
• 🔄 Social media platforms have combined addictive elements from different sources, similar to combining drugs to increase potency, making them highly addictive.

#PersonalDevelopment #Neurochemistry #Dopamine

Clips

• 00:00 🧠 Excessive dopamine intake leads to chronic dopamine deficit state and addiction, ultimately leading to a larger cost and futility in a world of overwhelming abundance.
  • Excessive dopamine intake leads to down regulation of our own dopamine production and transmission, resulting in chronic dopamine deficit state and addiction.
  • Pleasure and pain are processed in the same part of the brain, and the brain works to restore a level balance by tipping it an equal and opposite amount to the side of pain, leading to a chronic dopamine deficit state if repeatedly exposed to highly reinforcing drugs and behaviors.
  • Dopamine fluctuates around a tonic baseline affecting the way we feel, rising above baseline levels makes us feel good while going below baseline makes us feel restless and anxious, and our dopamine balance was adapted for most of human existence but is no longer adaptive in a world of overwhelming abundance.
  • The pursuit of constant pleasure and reward seeking in a dopamine overloaded world ultimately leads to a larger cost and futility, with individual differences in dopamine levels and sensitivity potentially making some more vulnerable to addiction.
  • People with chronic pain have a harder time experiencing pleasure due to the body's desire to return to its baseline state, leading to a vicious cycle of needing more to feel less pleasure and experiencing a stronger after-effect of dopamine deficit.
  • Our pleasure-pain balance, shaped by millions of years of evolution, drives us to constantly seek more and improve our lives, leading to the transformation of the world, but also making us vulnerable to addiction in the modern ecosystem.
• 10:29 💥 Post-sex depression can occur due to the contrast between pleasure and the fleeting nature of life, while orgasms can lead to addiction and the importance of addressing sex addiction and pornography.
  • Post-coital depression, also known as acute existential dread, can occur after sex due to the contrast between the pleasure experienced during sex and the realization of the fleeting nature of life afterwards.
  • Orgasms release dopamine in our brain, which can lead to tolerance and addiction, making it important to address the growing problem of sex addiction and pornography.
  • Sex addiction can occur when sex is solely used for the purpose of achieving orgasm, divorced from intimacy and love, leading to a dopamine deficit state and negative retrospective psychological labeling.
  • The more orgasms you have, the more you build up tolerance and need more potent forms to get the same effect, but not everyone becomes addicted to sex because it depends on how hard they're willing to work for their "drug" and there's inter-individual variability and drug of choice.
  • The speaker became addicted to romance novels, but interestingly, was never tempted by alcohol or caffeine, and explains how different types of addictions can be adaptive at a group level.
  • The speaker confesses to being on the cover of 15 dark romance novels.
• 18:55 🧠 Stopping drug use can improve symptoms of depression and anxiety by allowing natural dopamine transmission to up regulate, while social media can be addictive and drug-ify human connection due to its release of dopamine.
  • Serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine are all important neurotransmitters involved in mood, attention, and addiction, with dopamine being the final common pathway for all addictive substances and behaviors.
  • Stopping drug use can improve symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to a psychiatrist with 25 years of experience.
  • Substance abuse drives depression and anxiety by creating a dopamine deficit state, and the intervention is to stop using the drug and allow natural dopamine transmission to up regulate.
  • To have a successful dopamine detox, it is important to identify and eliminate triggers that can cause a release of dopamine, even if they are not the addictive behavior or drug itself.
  • Cues for drugs release dopamine in the reward pathway, followed by a deficit state that drives motivation, and social media has drug-ified human connection by releasing oxytocin that binds to dopamine neurons and causes a release of dopamine.
  • Social media can be addictive because it releases dopamine when we connect with others, but it also has the potential to drug-ify human connection due to its easy access, quantity, potency, and novelty.
• 26:58 💊 Social media addiction is real and requires behavioral interventions like dopamine detox and medication to reduce consumption.
  • Social media combines and increases potency like traditional drugs and alcohol, but with the added convenience of never running out.
  • Novelty, AI algorithms, and social media's enumeration of likes all trigger dopamine and our search for the next slightly better thing, with different people finding different things rewarding.
  • Addiction spreads like a virus through social networks, and behavioral interventions such as dopamine detox are the only solution.
  • Addiction requires biological, psychological, and social interventions, including behavioral changes and the use of chemicals like naltrexone to reduce alcohol consumption.
  • Addiction is a spectrum disorder and while a dopamine fast can be helpful for those with mild to moderate addiction, those with severe addiction may require professional intervention or medication.
  • Innate vulnerability to addiction varies and is influenced by biological inheritance, mental illnesses, early life experiences, environmental factors, and access to addictive substances and behaviors.
• 34:32 🧬 Genetics and environment both play a role in addiction, but finding purpose and engaging in meaningful activities can help prevent it.
  • The likelihood of becoming addicted to alcohol is influenced by both genetic vulnerability and environmental factors, such as exposure and social support.
  • Active participation in religious organizations may decrease the risk of addiction by providing adaptive sources of dopamine such as intimate connections and meaningful work.
  • Maintaining general psychological resilience through wellness practices and being aware of the HALT acronym can help prevent addiction, while chasing meaning and purpose can also serve as a protective factor.
  • Stop relentlessly pursuing pleasure and instead connect with a deeper sense of purpose to ensure a scalable and continuous sense of pleasure throughout life.
  • Finding a sense of purpose in life, typically living for others, can make enduring the pain of being alive worth it, and we need to shift our focus away from the pursuit of pleasure.
  • The pursuit of pleasure through consumption in a capitalist society ultimately leads to a decrease in happiness, while engaging in activities that require effortful engagement and lightly press on our pain side can upregulate feel-good hormones.
• 43:12 🧬 Modifiable risk factors contribute to 70% of global deaths, but hormesis can improve lives; 🧘‍♀️ removing distractions and being present can improve concentration; 📱 smartphone addiction is driven by euphoric recall, but a dopamine fast can help control it; 🤝 telling the truth can create deep connections and accountability.
  • Modifiable risk factors such as smoking, diet, and lack of exercise contribute to 70% of global deaths, but humans can utilize hormesis, the exposure to mild toxic or noxious stimuli, to reset their hedonic set point to the side of pleasure and improve their lives.
  • To improve sustained concentration, it is important to remove distractions and allow oneself to be bored in order to focus on the present moment and learn about oneself and the world.
  • Being in the moment is hard and involves tolerating the distress of being alive, and smartphone addiction is driven by euphoric recall and intrusive thoughts.
  • Euphoric recall drives dopamine up, followed by a deficit and craving, leading to a self-perpetuated cue, and to keep dopamine under control, starting with a dopamine fast is recommended.
  • Mindfully being aware of euphoric recall and using pleasurable activities in moderation, while leaving enough time for homeostasis to be restored and implementing self-binding strategies can help maintain balance and prevent addiction.
  • Telling the truth, even when it's difficult, can upregulate the prefrontal cortex and create deep human connections, leading to delayed gratification and accountability.
• 55:17 🧠 Addiction leaves a lasting impact on the brain, but building new neural pathways and monitoring device use can help prevent serious addictions and foster healthy coping strategies.
  • Addiction leaves a latent scar that never goes away, but it is possible to weaken the pathways through which addiction occurs.
  • Rats exposed to cocaine for a week exhibit a running frenzy that persists even after a year of abstinence, indicating a fundamental brain change that never goes away.
  • Recovery involves building new neural pathways around damaged areas, and the overuse of phones can set the tone for later life with potentially grave implications.
  • Children should not have their own devices until they are at least 12 or 13 years old, as it is important to teach them healthy coping strategies and foster social networks in real life, and parents should monitor their use to prevent serious addictions to social media and other things.
  • Addiction can be reversed with careful monitoring and access to resources, and our habits shape the person we become.
  • The pervasive problem of living in a hyper-convenient world where pleasure is easily accessible has skewed the pleasure-pain balance, leading to increased depression and anxiety, but understanding the neuroscience of pleasure and pain can help us insulate ourselves from pleasure and intentionally challenge ourselves for a more fulfilling life.
• 01:02:43 📚 Finding balance in the age of indulgence: "Dopamine Nation" offers insights.
  • Anna Lemke's book "Dopamine Nation" offers insights on finding balance in the age of indulgence.

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