DOSE for habits and motivation

I recently listened to a podcast about how different brain chemicals shape our habits and motivation. I took notes while listening as it was too much to absorb at once. This blog is my notes with my perspective about it.

The 4 main brain chemicals which affect our habits/motivation are Dopamine, Oxytocin Serotonin and Endorphins (D.O.S.E.)

Dopamine

Dopamine is a chemical that our brain needs for its reward system. The brain releases dopamine to make you feel good when you achieve something or engage in an activity, reinforcing that behavior. Because of this reward chemical, we feel motivated to do things. Since the motivation to do things we seek is a core part of life, the proper functioning of this chemical is crucial.

The current lifestyle, designed with tech and an abundance of things, makes it easy to hijack dopamine, leading to unhealthy habits. With social media, phone notifications, smoking, etc., the brain gets a high dose of dopamine constantly, which then crashes in the absence of this stimulus. This leads to low motivation for activities like studying, cooking, or running, which release dopamine in a more gradual and sustainable manner. This has become one of the main reasons many of us struggle to do the things we want to pursue.

Some common symptoms that indicate that dopamine is not functioning well in brain

• Low motivation for the things you want to do
• Difficulty in focusing
• Lack of pleasure in things you enjoyed once
• Craving stimulants like coffee, sugary snacks, or frequently checking your phone

How can one improve dopamine function?

• Phone fasting

  • No phone at the start or end of the day. Picking up phone right after waking up gives high dose of dopamine to brain which then struggles for other things in the day because of low dopamine baseline

  • No notifications except emergency ones. Brain does not like constant stimulation and it gets exhausted by it

• Flow state

  • Setting aside a few hours each day for deep work, where you focus on a single task without distractions. Deep work increases focus & attention while reducing mental fatigue you get from constant context switching.
  • Studies show that brain needs around 15 minutes to get into a flow state. Once there, your brain becomes hyper-focused on the task, generating good, gradual dopamine.
  • Engaging in interesting or challenging work, listening to music, or even cleaning your home can help you enter a flow state.

• Boredom

  • Brain needs period of time where it gets bored so it can reset its receptors and gets creative

• Cold showers

  • which can lead to increase in dopamine levels by 2.5x. Don't need to do ice plunges, doing ~30s of cold shower at the end of bath will also do.

• Long walks in nature

  • Nature is our species' home. Going for long walks without your phone or headphones gives your brain time to daydream and actively chase your dreams.

• Discipline

  • Being bit more disciplined raises your baseline dopamine, which increases motivation in other areas of life. For example, cleaning your desk before work not only feels good, but it also motivates you to do better work because your dopamine levels are improved.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin helps to create feelings of love, trust, enhancing trust, empathy, and connection between individuals. When brain has healthy levels of oxytocin it becomes confident, calmer and fulfilled.

Modern lifestyle, with less face-to-face interaction, more stress, and increased reliance on technology, can disrupt natural oxytocin levels. Anything that distracts our capacity to connect with other reduces this chemical in brain. Connecting via social media moderately satisfies this chemical then chemical starts kicking back and starts dysfunctioning.

How can one improve oxytocin function?

• Physical touch

  • Anytime you touch a human or an animal oxytocin raises in your brain

• Contribution

  • When you contribute something to improve someone else's life your oxytocin level raises. This is because we evolved in groups helping each other in the wild to survive.

• Active listening

  • When someone speaks to you listening to them actively to understand them raises oxytocin

• Style of self talk

  • If your self talk often contains the list of things you are grateful for and things this gives boost to oxytocin

• Celebrating achievements

  • Celebrating even the small wins and achievements leads to higher oxytocin and confidence

Serotonin

Also known as feel good chemical serotonin responsible for mood, energy & sleep. A big percentage of this gets generated in our gut and ultra processed food makes it hard to get healthy levels of serotonin. Low levels of serotonin is one of reasons behind low mood, brain fog and tiredness.

How can one elevate serotonin levels?

• Gut Health

  • Consuming nutrient-dense, whole foods (such as protein sources, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds) elevates serotonin production in the gut. Processed foods disrupt this, causing dips in serotonin levels.
  • Probiotics: Consuming probiotic-rich foods like kombucha, kefir, or yogurt to support gut health and serotonin production.

• Walk in Nature Without Headphones

  • This helps restore serotonin levels, calms the nervous system, and reconnects the body with its natural environment.

• Sunlight

  • Sunlight exposure, especially in the morning helps elevate serotonin levels

• Slow Breathing

  • Slow breathing and meditation elevate serotonin levels.

• Sleep

  • Good sleep quality promotes serotonin production, which helps mental clarity and mood the next day.

Endorphin

Endorphins are chemicals produced by the brain and nervous system to help the body cope with pain or stress. Endorphins are often referred to as "feel-good" hormones because they can create a sense well-being, similar to the effects of opioid drugs, but without the addiction risk.

Modern lifestyles disrupt endorphin production through sedentary behavior, chronic stress and poor sleep

How can one elevate endorphins levels?

• Exercise

  • Physical exercise like running, swimming, cycling, or working out triggers the release of endorphins. The "runner's high" is a well-known example of this effect. Body needs at least 30 minutes of exercise a few times a week.

• Heat

  • heat from a sauna can help release endorphins

• Music

  • Listening to music or singing out loud can release endorphins

• Laughter

  • When you laugh body produces endorphins

• Stretching

  • stretching your body like yoga increases endorphins