Your Brain on Dopamine
If you've read any of my previous blog posts I think its clear how fascinated I am with the brain. Not only am I in awe with its complex functioning, I am endlessly inspired by the power we all have to train, tweak and rewire it. The brain is often viewed as the wicked organ that causes the majority of our psychological challenges. In reality, the brain is mostly a neutral party and our external choices influence it’s behavior. My goal with this series is to share healthy, clinically proven ways we can naturally boost our happy chemicals and increase well-being. I promise two things: 1. to keep the sciencey bits short and sweet and 2. provide loads of knitting related ideas to enrich the process.
Before I dive into dopamine here are some important facts to better understand how we work:
Each of us has a wired part of the brain, (nervous system) associated with lightening fast communication. Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers of the nervous system that communicate through the part of the nerve cell, (neuron), called synapses. We often see images of the brain with certain parts "lit up" to visually explain this communication.
We also have a hormonal part of the brain, (endocrine system) where hormones are the chemical messengers released from glands (primarily the pituitary gland located directly below the hypothalamus), into the blood stream. This process is much slower than neural communication but the messengers travel further distances in the body.
Some hormones can also work as neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters and hormones work to regulate behavior and maintain balance (homeostasis) throughout the body.
Memory (located in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus) plays a vital role in our versatile way of behaving. Memory combines and stores our experiences which guides future behavior. Learning is a change in how we respond to the world around us. Memory is the cellular modification which brings about the learning change.
Dopamine works as both a neurotransmitter and a hormone. It accounts for less than 1% of the brains neurons but has one of the strongest influences on behavior. Dopamine is our desire to pursue more and regulates motivation, driving us to initiate and persevere for reward. The goal of this pursuit is to increase pleasure and reduce pain. Pleasure and pain are identified as either physical or psychological. Because dopamine is released from the hypothalamus it is strongly connected with memory. We remember the experiences that gave us the sense of euphoria so we are driven to do them over and over again. We also remember the adverse affects of certain experiences and seek to avoid similar encounters at all costs.
Dopamine is continually being released to maintain balance. Each of us has a dopamine baseline which varies from person to person. In order to increase this baseline for more happy we want to boost production. I want to emphasize something here. Healthy production of dopamine has much longer lasting effects than unhealthy production. Why? Because a healthy boost gradually increases production. Remember- your brain will always work to maintain balance. If something spikes your dopamine and the brain is flooded, the swing back to balance will be just as extreme as the spike. These floods are short lived as the brain becomes over stimulated and acts quickly to restore equilibrium. Once that flood wears off the dopamine level is now lower than baseline, resulting in a very low mood. This creates the unhealthy, impulsive cycle of "chasing dopamine". Unhealthy dopamine production controls us. Healthy dopamine production is something we control.
Now to the good stuff! Knitting boosts dopamine- so keep doing that! Here are some additional ways to naturally increase this happy chemical:
Consuming natural sweeteners. When I settle in to work on a project I often have a drink and snack close by. Some examples are green tea with honey, grapes, pineapple, crackers with real jam, and unsweetened applesauce. A few other healthy foods include avocado, almonds, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds and watermelon.
Fact- Chocolate raises dopamine by 1 1/2 times your baseline. Need I say more?
Vitamin D! Get outside and knit! In the park, on the patio, on the front stoop. Even sitting close to a window where the sun shines in will increase production.
Human contact. Now this doesn't have to be in person. Zoom and other video chatting platforms are perfect for getting a group together. It is important to be able to see each other for full effects. Set up a zoom knit! I've participated in a couple of these and had a great time. I always feel good afterwards. If your interested in joining one reach out. I'd be happy to set one up!
Discover new things to engage in. Remember dopamine is our desire to pursue more. This is a great reason to put yourself out there. Maybe you've never participated in a knitting group. Try a new style of knitting. Have you been considering brioche, cables or color work? Learn something new to add to your knitting tool kit and boost your dopamine.
Exercise. This doesn't have to be a high intensity, pumping iron kind of workout. A brisk walk around the neighborhood will do the trick.
Sleep. We all know how important it is to get adequate amounts of sleep. Lack of sleep negatively impacts our mood. I engage in a night time ritual that helps me prepare myself for a peaceful nights rest.
Essential oils. You do not have to apply these to your skin to get the benefits and I absolutely do not recommend ingesting. Diffusing oils or using them with an inhaler is the safest way to enjoy them. In my podcast episode about Rituals, I briefly explain how essential oils are beneficial. I take a quick sciencey break to explain this process in the recording. Explanation starts at 6:40. Some oils to give you a dopamine boost are bergamot, lavender, lemon, peppermint, oregano and rose.
Well, there you have it my friends. A few of these boosts will come up often as I go through the series as they are vital to our well-being.
Follow me on Instagram to learn more about what I’m knitting, great complementary patterns for each topic and giveaways!
I hope you found this post informative and motivating. I would love to hear your thoughts. You can comment below or on any of my social media platforms!
Thank you for spending some time with me.
Want to learn more? Check out these fantastic sources!
https://hubermanlab.com/controlling-your-dopamine-for-motivation-focus-and-satisfaction/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130110094415.htm
John D. Salamone, Mercè Correa. The Mysterious Motivational Functions of Mesolimbic Dopamine. Neuron, 2012; 76 (3): 470 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.10.021
