Dopamine addiction –

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, naturally produced in our body, it acts by taking information to the different parts of the body and when it is released, it generates the feeling of pleasure! The lack of it causes a decrease in pleasure, however, when it is in excess it can generate some addictions.

Dopamine causes nerve impulses that will promote sensations of rewards and generate pleasure, however, when we are always looking for “easy” pleasures and leave aside the purpose, we move away from what I have already told in another text here about happiness be precisely the balance between pleasure and purpose, and not just one of them.

That is, the more we focus our attention on feeling pleasure all the time, the more we become addicted to pleasures that, in the long run, will no longer be so pleasant!

For example: exacerbated use of social networks, video games, streamers platforms, we seek pleasure to satisfy some desire of ours, generating a momentary pleasure, however, the quality of this pleasure can be low, so we seek stimuli again to try to satisfy that desire and maintain the minimal happiness. However, the body gets used to the choices we make and generates an addiction to these pleasures.

And what needs to be done to rescue “genuine” happiness and get rid of these easy and momentary pleasures? We need to learn to pause and regulate our pleasures for the deepest and most elaborate, those that involve purpose behind. We need to get back to feeling bored once in a while and let our brains be creative and think of new ways to have fun!

Having all these pleasures so easily accessible, often in the palm of our hand, makes us stop appreciating them so much, so we need to go back to seeking moments of pleasure with purpose, involving dedication and, therefore, more satisfaction. Stabilize dopamine levels, find pleasure in small acts, appreciate the present moment to become more sensitive to simple stimuli!

Now stop and think a little: Do you really enjoy the things you do? Touching your cell phone gives you pleasure? How long does it stay? Does eating sweets unbridledly generate pleasure? How much do you need that food to generate this satisfaction? What other moments in your life do you enjoy? How can you implement more moments of pleasure with purpose? Learn to deal with boredom, know how to wait and feel the time, without having to always leave a TV in the background, wake up and connect with cell phone notifications or scroll through the social media feed!

I’m with you on this journey, always seeking to find the balance between the pleasures and purposes of life, to be even happier!

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Hi, my name is Priscila Conte Vieira, but you can call me Pri! I am a psychologist, speaker, mentor and teacher. I work in clinical psychology, I specialize in Positive Psychology and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, master in self-knowledge, life coach, NLP practitioner and also creator of the Podcast Breathe, don’t freak out (how about checking it out on Spotify?!)

I’ll be here every week, addressing themes of Positive Psychology, happiness, well-being and helping them to be their best versions, through self-knowledge and flourishing. To find out more about me and follow me on a daily basis, just follow me on Instagram! I’m there like @psi.priscilaconte

See you next Saturday! See you <3