Introduction
Dopamine is a chemical messenger – a neurotransmitter -, which plays a critical role in how you operate in your day-to-day. It is often referred to as your “feel-good” transmitter, but in reality, it is the base of your internal reward system. If used well, you can make it your greatest ally in your career development.
“When dopamine is released in large quantities, it generates feelings of joy and reward, motivating us to repeat a certain behavior (1) . If we associate a particular activity with pleasure, mere anticipation may be enough to increase dopamine levels. This could be a specific food, activity, purchase, or anything else we enjoy. In contrast, low dopamine levels are associated with reduced motivation and decreased enthusiasm, and can also be linked to certain movement and psychiatric disorders. (2)” (3)
This article is intended to help you to give some practical tips on how to utilize it well.
The more often you achieve it [your goals], the more likely it becomes to set a new goal. If it is done frequently enough (daily, or even setting out intent for any particular time block during your day for an extended period), dopamine initiates a snowball effect, turning you into a superhero. 🙂
Goal Setting Seriously
Welcome to the first installment of our Goal Setting Seriously series! We’re excited to dive deep into the topic of goal setting, exploring its biological, chemical, and psychological aspects beyond just practical tips.
Instead of skimming the surface, we aim to provide in-depth insights backed by research. While there are many excellent sources out there summarizing the scientific background of goal setting, our goal isn’t to compete with them. Instead, we want to complement their work and make it more accessible to a wider audience. Think of us as a bridge, helping to spread awareness and appreciation for their valuable contributions.
How goal setting and dopamine are relevant
The process of setting goals initiates a cascade of neural activity, with dopamine playing a key role in signaling the brain’s reward circuitry. When individuals establish clear and achievable goals, the brain anticipates the potential rewards associated with their accomplishment. This anticipation triggers the release of dopamine, creating a sense of excitement, motivation, and anticipation.
As individuals make progress toward their goals and achieve milestones along the way, dopamine continues to be released in response to each success. Whether it’s completing a task, reaching a significant milestone, or overcoming a challenge, the brain interprets these achievements as rewards and responds by releasing dopamine. This neurochemical response reinforces the behavior, making individuals more likely to continue striving toward their goals.
This is where goal-setting cadence comes into play: Basically, the more often you set yourself a goal, the more often you give a chance yourself to achieve it. The more often you achieve it, the more likely it becomes to set a new goal. If it is done frequently enough (daily, or even setting out intent for any particular time block during your day for an extended period), dopamine initiates a snowball effect, turning you into a superhero. 🙂
[this also explains why we are recommending a daily goal setting instead of promoting yearly, quarterly, and monthly goals. Those are great, but far from enough.]
Which other neurotransmitters are important to stick with the goals
We will turn this article into a series of discussing relevant neurotransmitters, mainly because we would like to know more about these so that we can more consciously build on them in our practice, but also because multiplying wisdom in this context may enable others as well.
So far what you can expect is that we are going to write about Serotonin, Norepinephrine, and Endorphins. I for example look forward to the article on Norepinephrine, as it cause a couple of sleepless nights already in my life. 🙂
How to notice when you get a dopamine release
By being aware of your dopamine levels, and understanding how they affect your mood and performance, you are more in control over your mind and body, because, it allows you to do activities that take you closer to your desired mental state.
So, first of all, here are some signs that indicate you just had a dopamine release: Feeling excited, energized, and confident. Having a positive outlook for the future, a sense of accomplishment, or feeling more curious and engaged than typical.
“Okay… And how can I use this knowledge?”
Well, on more than one front actually;
- You can engage in activities that trigger this release.
- Or you can prolong/double down on the release by reinforcing its presence.
Let’s look into these in-depth:
Engaging in activities that trigger dopamine release
- Achieve a previously set goal: Set a goal for yourself, and then go for it. In a professional setting, this is something you can do from moment to moment. You can set for yourself weekly and daily goals; but if you want to practice more, you can go for even smaller goals: Set an intent for your next meeting, and then follow through! And then… Check that goal off of your list, and observe the sensations in your body! Feels good, right? Now do it again, and you will feel immediately, you are a little bit more confident and more courageous.
- Complete a previously set task: Very similar, you can boost your feeling of accomplishment by checking items off of your to-do list. You do it more often, and your brain rewards system starts firing.
- Giving and Receiving positive feedback: Especially the receiving part – hearing praise or recognition from colleagues, mentors, or clients can boost self-esteem, which again, leads to dopamine release, so you will do more of it. By giving, you are increasing your chances of also receiving more positive feedback in the long run
- Get out of your comfort zone, take risks, and succeed in it: Not only does it push your boundaries and comfort zone out, but the lower chances of succeeding will result in a higher internal reward. However, you must be careful with the kind of risks you are taking.
Double down on your dopamine release
In this category you can find items that keep releasing more dopamine over time for you, or are building on top of your release already:
- Consciously congratulate yourself: Either by patting your shoulder or just vocally reinforcing you made a great achievement. This simple activity can turn even the most hated activity into a bearable task, while also decreasing the need for external reinforcement.
- Build in some form of retrospective at the end of the day: It can be anything from journaling to some kind of a gratefulness exercise to “1 amazing achievement I unlocked today…”; the point is to loop yourself back to the moment of your achievement.
- Cross-do some non-work related activities that also induce dopamine release:
- Take a break and go for a walk after achieving something amazing;
- Eat beans (contains a lot of L-dopa, the precursor molecule of dopamine)
The dopamine detox myth
The word “dopamine detox” has become popular in recent years. The phrase originates from Dr. Cameron Sepah, and we would like to clear up a typical misunderstanding around the phenomenon.
The original idea is not to decrease the dopamine levels in your brain, and certainly not to deprive your brain. There is nothing wrong with dopamine.
The idea is to get rid of such dopamine-inducing activities from your life, that are typically very cheap (e.g.: require little-to-no- effort), and make you addicted to them. This can be consuming social media content mindlessly, writing posts without a purpose (-> e.g.: Like hunting), consuming alcohol, etc. By avoiding these, you will have much more control over your life, and that is all.
The detox, however, is not about getting rid of everything that causes dopamine release. Just the harmful ones. You can imagine it as if you are weeding in a garden.
Through doing so, once you go back to these behaviors, you will be much more aware of what they cause to you, and allow you to make an educated decision on selecting worthy dopamine sources in your life.
Conclusion
If used well, dopamine can be your greatest ally in making an impact, and then progressing in your career. If used poorly, however, it can be your greatest enemy. We urge you to take control of your dopamine levels by consciously monitoring your activities, and engage in rewarding activities frequently that are bringing value beyond “feel good”. Set goals daily or even more frequently to trigger dopamine release, reinforce this behavior and with that build up not just an unprecedented impact, but also your reputation and career in the long run.