Dopamine is a hormone that is responsible for motivating and achieving goals.
We all have a baseline level of dopamine. When we want something, the hormone begins to be produced in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
At this time, we are already looking forward to the result, feeling the pleasure of what we have received. However, dopamine levels soon fall below baseline, which leads to displeasure and motivates you to get what you want. Then the movement towards the goal begins.
Having achieved the result, a person receives a reward in the form of an increase in dopamine levels.
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Where does the motivation to continue come from?
However, the degree of pleasure from winning varies: dopamine can rise to a basic level, and then a person will be comfortable, but this will not motivate them to continue. The second option is that dopamine will rise to a peak level, and then the value of the result will be higher, which will undoubtedly affect further motivation.
The relationship between the incentive and the result — whether you succeeded, whether you got what you wanted — is crucial. The more satisfied you get, the more motivated you are to keep going.
Aspiration is already a reward!
However, according to Andrew Guberman, a well-known American neuroscientist, dopamine reward can become a trap. If a person strives for something for a very long time, they may feel disappointed when they reach the goal. The fact is that we often expect a lot from the beginning to win. Andrew advises enjoying the process itself and the search rather than the result.
“Aspiration is already a reward,” the scientist believes.
If you are disappointed after achieving something, you should not immediately “rush” to a new goal. Give yourself a break and the motivation to keep going again when your dopamine levels recover.
Delayed result
It is important to mention that a person achieves different goals at different speeds. So, if we're hungry, we can quickly satisfy our hunger by bringing dopamine back to its original baseline. But if we want to learn how to drive, for example, we need to spend at least a few months to achieve what we want. The fact that a certain period of time separates the stimulus to action and the result allows the dopamine system to be “trained”: the brain analyzes the entire path and takes into account all signals that say that the movement towards the goal is in the right direction. This process is very important because it helps us achieve long-term goals with deferred rewards, whether it's finding the right partner, getting a diploma, writing a book, or implementing another major project.
How do you achieve “long-term” goals?
When you're working on a long-term project, it's important to maintain what's known as “dopamine” tone.
The simplest methods for maintaining a basic hormone level include:
- Regular sleep
- Proper nutrition
- sunshine
- A cool shower in the morning
- Movement and sports
How do you avoid procrastination?
How can you stay motivated if at some point you feel that the activity is not enjoyable and you want to switch?
According to expert opinion Andrew Guberman, a professor at Stanford University, in order to prevent procrastination, we need to move on to even more complex activities. This will lower your dopamine levels even lower, but at the same time allow you to return to baseline more quickly and get back to the original task.
Andrew suggests preparing a list of difficult things to do when you lose motivation while doing an activity.
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