The Science of Self Control: Find Motivation, Build Willpower, and Increase Your Focus

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Jan 22, 2026

Dr. Anna Lembke, a Stanford professor and leading expert on dopamine and addiction, shares eye-opening insights into motivation and modern life’s brain hijacking. She reveals how constant dopamine chasing sabotages our joy and focus. Discover the pleasure-pain seesaw and why simple pleasures can become addictive. Anna also discusses the importance of boredom, practical strategies like dopamine detoxing, and the necessity of discomfort for growth. Her relatable personal experiences make this conversation both informative and engaging.

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INSIGHT

Modern Life Hijacks Motivation

Modern life trains your brain to chase easy dopamine hits, making motivation feel scarce.
Rebalancing reward requires reducing cheap pleasures and restoring tolerance for discomfort.

INSIGHT

Pleasure–Pain Seesaw Explains Craving

The brain maintains a pleasure–pain homeostasis that pushes back after any pleasure.
Repeated pleasure weakens reward responses and strengthens opposite pain responses over time.

INSIGHT

Tolerance Creates Withdrawal And Narrowed Joy

With repeated exposure tolerance grows and withdrawal pain increases, driving compulsive use.
Addiction narrows reward focus and makes normal pleasures less satisfying.

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In today’s episode, you’ll learn how to get motivated, even when you don’t feel like it.

If you feel unmotivated, scatter brained, or exhausted…
If you keep reaching for your phone, wine, or the remote even when you want to stop…
If you’re frustrated with yourself for lacking discipline….

This conversation will help you stop wasting time and finally understand why it’s so hard to do the things you know you should do.

Joining Mel today is Dr. Anna Lembke, MD, who is the world’s leading expert on dopamine and compulsive behavior. Dr. Lembke is a professor of psychiatry and addiction medicine at Stanford University, chief of Stanford’s Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of Dopamine Nation and the upcoming Radical Surrender

She has served on the boards of several state and national addiction-focused organizations, and has testified before the United States House of Representatives and Senate.

But even with all of her knowledge, she will share with you: she also falls into the same traps you do!

In this episode, Dr. Lembke explains the truth most people don’t understand: Modern life has trained your brain to chase constant dopamine hits, and that’s why motivation, focus, and joy feel harder than ever.

But here’s the good news: you can reset your brain.

Dr. Lembke walks you through the science of dopamine, pain, pleasure, and motivation, and shares a practical protocol for rebuilding focus, energy, and self-control in a world designed to hijack your attention.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

-The “pleasure–pain seesaw” that explains why you keep reaching for the thing you swear you’re done with

-How dopamine really works (and why chasing pleasure backfires)

-The hidden reason scrolling, snacking, and multitasking make you feel worse, not better

-The simple but powerful way to rebalance pleasure and pain

-What to do when you feel stuck in compulsive habits you “can’t quit”

This is not a conversation about shame, addiction labels, or self-control. It’s about taking your brain back.

If you want more energy, clarity, and motivation, and if you’re ready to stop fighting yourself and start working with your brain, this episode is for you.

For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page.

If you liked the episode, check out this one next: How to Create a Successful Mindset: The Science of Passion and Perseverance

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