Save your dope (written with Google Bard)

The idea I discuss here is not novel at all, but it will serve me as a reminder of my New Year's resolutions.  I want to be less engaged in mindless Instagram/Facebook scrolling before bed or listening to Adele's same song for the tenth time!

Dopamine, a neurotransmitter often hailed as the brain's "feel-good" chemical, plays a crucial role in our reward system. Its release is triggered by activities and experiences that we perceive as positive and rewarding, reinforcing behaviors that contribute to our survival and well-being. However, in today's hyperconnected world, this once beneficial mechanism has been hijacked, transforming into a subtle yet potent adversary.

The contemporary digital landscape, with its relentless stream of distractions and instant gratifications, has ingeniously manipulated our dopamine pathways. Social media platforms, with their ever-changing content and the tantalizing allure of likes and mentions, provide a never-ending supply of ersatz rewards, keeping us tethered to our screens in an insatiable pursuit of fleeting dopamine hits. Similarly, online shopping, with its endless array of choices and the thrill of acquiring new possessions, triggers a similar surge of dopamine, albeit one that quickly fades as the novelty wears off.

This easy and time-consuming pursuit of artificial dopamine has serious consequences. As we become used to these quick fixes, we gradually lose the capacity for delayed gratification, the ability to endure discomfort and give unterrupted attention to a complex activity. Real achievements, those that demand sustained effort and dedication, become increasingly elusive.

The depletion of our dopamine reserves also has a detrimental impact on our overall well-being. The constant influx of artificial stimuli leaves us feeling drained and unfulfilled, with diminished energy and motivation for meaningful pursuits. We become trapped in a cycle of seeking external validation and fleeting pleasures, and needing more and more of them. It is so easy to believe that you are doing something, while you are actually wasting your life.

Breaking free from this dopamine dependency will require to train myself to notice what I do, stop the stupidity and remember my intrinsic motivations.

Incidentally, the word 'dope' is not etymologically related to dopamine; it originates from the Dutch word 'doop' (sauce). However, there is an ironic connection...