How to Optimize Your Brain Chemistry & What Would You Do With More Money?
Jan 27, 2025
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TJ Power, a neuroscientist and author of The Dose Effect, shares how brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine shape our emotions and motivations, emphasizing lifestyle changes to enhance well-being. Vicky Reynal, a financial psychotherapist and author of Money on Your Mind, discusses how early experiences influence our attitudes toward money, revealing the emotional roots of our financial behaviors. Together, they explore the modern challenges of brain chemistry and financial psychology, offering insights to improve mental health and financial success.
Understanding the significance of brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin can help enhance motivation, mood, and overall quality of life.
Examining one’s relationship with money reveals that emotional factors and beliefs about self-worth greatly influence financial behavior and decision-making.
Setting specific financial goals rather than vague desires is crucial for effective money management and achieving financial health.
Deep dives
Improving Road Safety
Avoiding the fast lane is a crucial safety tip, as many car accidents occur there. Staying in the middle or right lane provides more escape options during unexpected situations. Additionally, scanning ahead while driving, not just focusing on the car directly in front, helps increase reaction time for potential hazards. Being aware of blind spots by physically turning one’s head before changing lanes can also prevent collisions.
Understanding Brain Hormones
Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins are four significant brain chemicals that greatly impact individuals' lives. These hormones drive motivation, mood, social connections, and stress relief, respectively. Many people today experience low levels of these chemicals due to modern lifestyles that differ significantly from those of our ancestors, who thrived in nature. Purposefully boosting these hormones through activities like exercise and social interaction can enhance overall quality of life.
The Role of Technology on Well-being
Smartphones have transformed human behavior and are often blamed for declining mental health. With their propensity for overstimulating dopamine, phones can contribute to a low overall dopamine baseline. Reducing phone usage, especially in the morning, can improve motivation, mood, and mental clarity. Recognizing the detrimental effects of excessive screen time allows individuals to regain control over their mental well-being.
Financial Perspectives and Beliefs
People's relationship with money is largely shaped by their upbringing and early experiences. Issues such as overspending or fear of financial decisions often stem from deeper emotional factors and beliefs regarding self-worth. Exploring these beliefs can help individuals understand their financial behaviors and work towards healthier spending habits. Emphasizing curiosity over judgment when addressing financial concerns can foster self-improvement and better financial decision-making.
Measuring Financial Health
Defining specific financial goals is essential for improving money management. Vague desires to be 'better with money' often lead to inaction and failure. Setting measurable targets, like saving a certain amount each week, provides a clearer path to financial health. Being proactive about personal finances and seeking out knowledge increases confidence and reduces anxiety around money.
Serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins are 4 brain chemicals that can make you happy or make you miserable. And there are ways to regulate these brain chemicals by making changes in the way you live your life. That is according to neuroscientist TJ Power who is co-founder of Neurify, an organization providing scientifically backed teachings to enhance mental health. TJ is also author of the book, The Dose Effect (https://amzn.to/3E42cDr). You will be fascinated to hear how these chemicals work in your brain and control your thoughts and feelings.
We all have our own thoughts about money and what it represents. As a result, some people are cautious with their money while others are less so. Some people think of money as evil others think money will bring happiness. You individual attitudes about money come from somewhere and they can have a big impact on your financial success. Here to help you understand more about your relationship with money is Vicky Reynal. She is a financial psychotherapist in private practice who has been featured in the Financial Times, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health. She is also author of the book Money on Your Mind: The Unconscious Beliefs That Sabotage Your Financial Well-Being—and How to Break Free (https://amzn.to/4gbitDX).
It is very hard to keep track of more than 3 things at once. It just is. It is a limitation of the human brain. Listen as I reveal why this is important and the interesting ways we cope with it. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/571010