Dopamine is a hell of a drug
And like with actual drugs - effects get diminished up to a point where addicts just look for a fix. 🌝
I didn’t read that very thoroughly but it mostly seems to make the point that dopamine fasting is not a thing, because it’s a chemical our body produces directly.
Key sentences
While dopamine does rise in response to rewards or pleasurable activities, it doesn’t actually decrease when you avoid overstimulating activities, so a dopamine “fast” doesn’t actually lower your dopamine levels.
The original intent behind the dopamine fast was to provide a rationale and suggestions for disconnecting from days of technology-driven frenzy and substituting more simple activities to help us reconnect us with ourselves and others.
Basically you can’t really take a dopamine tolerance break as you can with drugs
We develop tolerance to drugs either because the body stops producing as many neurotransmiters in response to the drug or the receptors for those neurotransmiters get overloaded and burn out. We do not develop tolerance to natural neurotransmiters, the idea that dopamine is a drug is a misconception.
We’re talking about mindless consumerism tho, where with each piece of useless shit bought there will be less satisfaction (or dopamine reward in other words) until it’s just shopaholic behaviour.
This seems to be what a lot of Thai guys do on rotation… Work until burnout, become a monk until monk burnout… And then either become one of those numerous meth addict monks or return to work.
Fuck no. I want to be happy
But being a monk isn’t about being happy. It’s more about being at peace. You have to let go of the persuit of happiness and the avoidance of pain.
Yes.
All the time
