How Dopamine affects the brain can be a key to improving our lives

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“We live in a world that’s designed to hijack your dopamine. We’re scrolling, sending another text, looking at videos.

“Understanding what is happening in the brain is the key to changing our lives.

“Dopamine itself is a signal. It’s a neurotransmitter that’s essential for the experience of pleasure, reward, and motivation.” Dr. Anna Lembke, Chief of Addiction Medicine at Stanford.

In this creative mind audio, Dr. Lembke explains how much this neurotransmitter affects our motivations and attention and quality of experience, including happiness.

The first short segment is from the video trailer for her Masterclass, followed by a clip from a Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross, then a short clip from a sample video from her class.

Her Masterclass program: Dopamine: Take Your Brain Back.

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Her book: Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.

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From article by Dr. Cathleen King: How Long Does it Take to Rewire the Brain After Addiction?

“Addiction messes with the way your brain’s reward system works, especially when it comes to dopamine. This chemical is responsible for making you feel happy and accomplished.

“Normally, things like spending time with friends, exercising, or doing hobbies release dopamine and make you feel good.” [See a related article of hers below.]

Dr. Cathleen King, DPT is “an expert on chronic illness, chronic trauma, relationship/attachment repair, and inner child healing.”

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Trauma recovery physician Aimie Apigian, MD, says in her The Biology of Trauma podcast:

“You’ve tried to quit multiple times with genuine commitment and motivation... Is our biology predisposing us to addictive tendencies in measurable ways? Yes, it is. And understanding this gives us leverage points for effective treatment.” [See more below.]

More resources below.