What Morning Habits Support Healthy Dopamine Baselines?

You’ve been told your phone is just a tool. But what if it’s quietly rewiring your motivation, eroding your focus, and crowding out the single chemical your brain craves most - connection?

This week on Live Well Be Well, neuroscientist and author TJ Power joins me to explore the science of dopamine, focus, and digital balance. TJ, who developed the DOSE model - dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins - reveals how our screen habits are reshaping the brain’s chemistry and stealing the satisfaction we once got from real connection.

Drawing on his research in neuroscience and mental wellbeing, TJ explains how constant notifications, multitasking, and morning scrolling deplete dopamine, dull our motivation, and even affect emotional regulation. We discuss how to retrain your attention, protect your mornings, and strengthen the part of your brain responsible for self-control and flow.

Here’s what we dive into:

• The real data on phone addiction: how an average of 5.5 hours a day and 175 pickups rewires your dopamine system, and why under 3 hours supports better focus and happiness.

• Dopamine vs. Oxytocin - the neuroscience behind loneliness in the digital age, and how conversation and physical presence can restore deep fulfilment.

• Serotonin and sleep - how screen time late at night blocks natural serotonin cycles, sunlight absorption, and mood regulation.

• What is “brain rot”? TJ explains the neuroscience of effortless dopamine, gray matter changes, and why too much stimulation can damage attention networks.

• ADHD, attention, and environment - how our hunter-gatherer brains are struggling in a high-dopamine world, and what to do about it.

• AMCC (anterior mid-cingulate cortex) - your brain’s “willpower muscle.” Learn how small acts of resistance build real discipline and creativity.

• Morning habits for dopamine balance - why checking your phone first thing drains focus, and how “computer before phone” rewires productivity.

• Practical digital boundaries - from the app TJ uses to track pickups (aiming for 50 a day) to phone-free meals that boost oxytocin and presence.

  
  

Love,

Sarah Ann 💛

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today.

15% off with code LWBW15 at nowatch.com

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram:  / sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe:   / @livewellbewellsarah  

🐦 Twitter:  / sarahannmacklin  

📱 TikTok:  / sarahannnutrition  

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

If you enjoyed this episode you might also like:

Stop Chasing Money: 8 Hidden Forms of Wealth You Need NOW | Robin Sharma

https://youtu.be/ga2k2sK16L4?si=ff6sw-5UVCNtzdFP 

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter: 

Science Simplified, Health Humanised. Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

HighlightsHow phone use alters brain chemistry and affects dopamine, focus, and motivation. (00:00)Why human connection releases oxytocin and protects our wellbeing. (04:15)How screen time disrupts serotonin, mood, and sleep quality. (07:52)The structural brain changes linked to chronic screen exposure. (15:25)How dopamine imbalances contribute to ADHD and distraction in modern life. (28:11)Training the brain’s willpower centre to build focus and discipline. (35:33)Finding nutritional balance in an overstimulating and tempting world. (40:54)Morning habits that stabilise dopamine and improve mental health. (45:52)The creative and emotional benefits of boredom and daydreaming. (51:39)How awareness and intentional living can restore balance with technology. (01:00:53)

***

Love what you’re hearing? My small ask is to please rate and review Live Well Be Well. This helps the show expand and allows me to keep producing these with the best quality guests. It means a huge amount to me, so thank you.