#dopamine

#dopamine

Let me start by saying I genuinely admire Andrew Huberman. His mission to popularize neuroscience to improve lives is as useful as water in the desert, and his actionable strategies have helped countless people, including me. I even use his sponsor recommendations (yes, that fancy mattress works). But expertise in ophthalmology and neuroscience doesn't automatically translate to expertise in motivation science, and that is why things get messy.

Back in 2011, Apple's iPhone ads plastered billboards with glossy images of people traveling, celebrating milestones. The message was seductive: This device is your ticket to belonging and intimacy. And in many ways, those ads weren't wrong. Smartphones made it easier to FaceTime across continents and capture memories-but they also planted a subtle belief: that closeness itself lived inside the device.

Optimism lives in a curious in-between space. It isn't an outcome so much as an expectation about one. Yet optimism and pessimism each have immediate consequences for mental health. When we expect good things, daily life feels safer and more enjoyable. Persistent pessimism, on the other hand, breeds emptiness and depression. As a psychiatrist, I often meet people who undermine their own positive feelings.

Your brain's reward system is a network of regions that releases dopamine in response to rewarding stimuli. Think of dopamine as your brain's 'want' signal. It doesn't create pleasure so much as it creates the motivation to seek pleasure.

Gambling has a universal appeal, ranging from casinos to childhood games, from lottery tickets to crypto trading. It taps into our evolved instinct to take risks in pursuit of potential rewards.

Habits are shaped by how your brain learns and makes decisions, emphasizing that repetition and rewards are crucial for establishing and maintaining behaviors.

Dopamine rises in anticipation, not just reward—and the brain rebalances after a spike.

When we enter into a relationship, our dopamine levels skyrocket to levels comparable to cocaine use. This much dopamine feels great, gives us energy, and actually lets us operate on less sleep, which is convenient for late-night messaging or other activities.

We don't just scroll anymore-we spiral. In an internet economy that thrives on constant noise, Soft2Bet is doing something few can claim-pulling people in and keeping them engaged.

When we anticipate eating delicious food, our brain floods our neural pathways with feel-good chemicals.