How Craving Affects your Dopamine

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Understanding reward prediction error and the role of dopamine in craving and pursuit reveals a beautifully designed system. Cravings trigger a peak in dopamine, motivating us to pursue the desired thing. However, this peak is followed by a drop below baseline, which intensifies the motivation to bring dopamine levels back up. This dynamic is experienced as context-dependent craving and pursuit, driven by the prefrontal cortex. Cravings not only stem from wanting something but also from the pain of not having it. Developing awareness of this connection allows us to leverage aspects of the dopamine system to increase motivation, especially during challenging times and when prone to procrastination.

In this episode, I explain how dopamine dynamics — meaning changes and interactions between our baseline and peak levels of dopamine drive our cravings and sense of motivation. I also explain how to leverage dopamine dynamics to overcome procrastination. I cover behavioral, cognitive, nutrition-based and supplementation-based tools to optimize baseline and peak dopamine levels to ensure a persistently motivated state. I also discuss how to boost motivation when you are in a rut, why you might not want to stack behaviors/substances that spike dopamine and how to build and maintain a “growth mindset” for pursuing goals of any kind. Dopamine is an incredibly powerful neuromodulator involved in basic functions (e.g., hunger, romantic attraction, etc.) and feats of cognitive and physical performance; by understanding the dynamics of dopamine, listeners ought to be better positioned to overcome procrastination, maintain motivation, and improve confidence.

For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.