Dopamine Detox

On This Book Note

🚀 What is it about in 3 Sentences

  1. The book explains the role of the Neurotransmitter “Dopamine” in our behavior & how its functioning has been hijacked in modern world.
  2. It addresses the consequences we face due to the “Dopamine Trap”.
  3. It introduces the idea of “Dopamine Detox” as an antidote to the “Dopamine Trap”.

💁‍♂️ Who’s it for?

  1. Chronic Procrastinators
  2. People who struggle to have attention & focus.
  3. For all those who seek to eliminate distractions & improve their overall productivity.

✍️ My Top 3 Quotes

The truth is that no amount of stimulation will ever bring you the sense of fulfillment you’re seeking. Yet, many of us are constantly overstimulated, looking for the next source that could trigger a release of dopamine. It seems as though we always want more and are never satisfied. And the more we seek stimulation, the worse it becomes.

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The World is Six Things

Remember that excitement and fulfillment aren’t the same things. As you learn to eliminate external stimulations and immerse yourself in your work, hobbies, or relationships, you’ll experience a deeper sense of fulfillment and will feel much better.

People who repeatedly focus on where they want to be in the future, make better decisions in the present. They tend to eat healthier food, be more productive at work and save and invest more money than others.”

📒 Summary + Reflections

Most of us face this issue wherein we are actually pretty clear about the specific tasks that are to be done & the associated rewards/benefits that await us once we accomplish those tasks, but yet we struggle to get it done. Either we never seem to start or we often get easily distracted after starting & lose the momentum to complete the tasks. Not only do we fail to get things done, but we also end up getting overwhelmed with the associated stress, negativity & self-doubt. None of us actually want to be in this state, yet we constantly find ourselves down there. Much has been discussed & written about tackling this issue pertaining to human productivity & there have been various approaches aimed toward it. This book discusses from the perspective of Human design. It focuses on our biological activity, mainly the role of the neurotransmitter “Dopamine” and how it regulates our course of action to achieve our tasks & goals.

The Role of Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter/hormone in our body whose primary function is to anticipate rewards & thereby provide encouragement to take action. For eg: It is the force that gives us the desire for sexual relationships & eating nourishing food- both activities that are associated with human survival & existence. Activities that we undertake are usually bound by rewards & achieving them makes us happy & instills inside us a sense of fulfillment. However certain activities are more-stimulating than others. They offer us instant gratification. For eg: Playing video games, social media scrolling, gambling, etc. Engaging in these activities quite often triggers the continuous release of dopamine & which finally disrupts the natural balance of the system. We find the motivation to do those tasks which supply us with instant gratification, yet face a lack of desire to do those tasks with delayed gratification that requires concentration & focus. The result of this is procrastination.

The Dopamine Trap

From the discussion about the natural role of dopamine in our body, we understand that it serves higher objectives. But in a life driven by capitalistic & hedonic pursuits, the real purpose of this neurotransmitter has been turned upside down. Most of us fail to realize that one of the most valuable assets we possess is our focus & attention span. Marketers spend billions to grab our focus/attention. Social media apps study our behavioral patterns & develop algorithms to steal more of our time & focus. These dopamine traps have affected us immensely. Some of the obvious manifestations are visible:

  • We have lost the art of patience & hard work. Our pursuit has shifted to “get rich quick” schemes.
  • The pursuit of healthy sexual romantic relationships within family units is being disrupted by indulgence in lustful activities disrupting the social balance of society.
  • Instead of eating to stay healthy & fit for longer life, we practice gluttony & pleasure eating.
  • We lose our ability to think long-term.
  • We fail miserably in getting the important tasks done & ultimately lose out on our life goals.
  • We suffer from ADHD.

The road to exit from the dopamine trap begins with the awareness of mind tricks that make us fall into them. Let’s go over four common tricks our minds play to keep us overstimulated.

  1. You are in control of your work & actions: Our mind convinces us that we are in good control of our tasks, we can switch them on & off as we like. However, that is not the case in reality.
  2. You can do it later: The mind tells us that you have plenty of time & you are necessarily guaranteed a tomorrow, but the tomorrow fails to arrive and we end up procrastinating.
  3. Wishful thinking: Excitement is fulfillment: We are deluded to think that excitement is the same as fulfillment. How often do we expertly plan the task, but yet get nothing done?
  4. Fear of Missing out: The reason why we always respond to notifications is that we have developed a scarcity mindset, wherein we feel the fear of missing out. Our opportunities seem to be limited.

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Dopamine Detox

The solution to the problem of the dopamine trap lies in dopamine detox. Dopamine detox is defined as undertaking a conscious effort to prevent overstimulation and put oneself in the proper state of mind to fulfill major tasks. The three types of detox described in the book are as follows:

  1. The 48-hour complete dopamine detox: It involves the elimination of all sources of external stimulation for 48 hours.
  2. The 24-hour dopamine detox.
  3. The partial dopamine detox: It entails removing your biggest source of stimulation. Usually, one specific activity acts as your greatest distraction.

Below is a three-step method to help you perform a successful dopamine detox.

  1. Identify & list all distractions in a sheet of paper & stick it to a prominent place.
  2. Make negative habits harder by adding friction.
  3. Make good habits easier by reducing friction.
  4. Implement a daily morning routine & make sure the hardest tasks are done at first.( Eat that frog concept)

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