Invest Your Dopamine

10 tips from my Huberman Lab appearance

Post summary

• On Monday, I shared video, audio, and resources from my appearance on the Huberman Lab podcast.

• Andrew and I had a fantastic discussion. What I loved most was that he treated sections of our chat as a thought experiment. He’d toss out a theory or topic he’d been pondering, and we’d think about it together in real time.

• This led us to the idea of “spending versus investing dopamine.” And that’s what today’s post is about.

• We’ll cover the idea, what it means, and 10 practices we can use to invest dopamine for long-term motivation, rewards, and a better life.

Housekeeping

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Audio version

The Post

I recently chatted with Dr. Andrew Huberman on the Huberman Lab podcast. Watch or listen here.

Andrew started the podcast as he always does: By graciously introducing his guest. He said the following, which is the topic of today’s post:

The Comfort Crisis made me realize that every activity available to us, easy or challenging, destructive or constructive, can and should be viewed through the lens of whether it spends our dopamine reserves or invest them in a worthwhile way. This is a key distinction that we don't often hear about, but it's one that can help you access much greater levels of focus and motivation to be able to avoid and get over addictive or compulsive behaviors. And it also brings about greater meaning and depth of connection to your relationships and leisure time.

Spending versus investing dopamine. It’s beautiful terminology that Andrew developed. I love it because it puts a powerful neuroscientific lens on my work.

Today we’ll explore this idea and 10 high-return dopamine investments we should all consider making.

Before we dive in—so we understand some basics on dopamine and why today’s topic is critical to a life well-lived—here’s a quick dopamine primer.

Dopamine primer + shifts in dopamine

We often hear dopamine is the “pleasure chemical” that drives bad behavior. That idea came from early neuroscience in the 1990s, when scientists noticed dopamine spikes during fun stuff—drugs, sex, drinking, rock n’ roll.

But dopamine is far more complex.

It’s a neurotransmitter, shuttling signals between nerve cells. It also acts as a paracrine messenger, a sort of contractor that coordinates many processes. It regulates movement (Parkinson’s comes from too little), urination, digestion, white blood cell production, and even metabolism.

When it comes to behavior, dopamine helps us associate certain conditions in our environment, or cues, with getting a reward.

Once we know something is pleasurable or rewarding, dopamine is primarily released when we’re pursuing and anticipating receiving that pleasurable thing, not when we’re actually receiving the pleasurable thing¹.

Here’s a way to think of this formula as it relates to behavior: We do a thing. If the thing was rewarding, we’re now more likely to do the thing again in similar conditions.

The problem is that modern life gives us endless behaviors that feel good in the short term but cause problems in the long run. We chase and chase but rarely feel satisfied.

As Andrew said, “Most of us are spending, and then we reset each night with sleep, and then we spend the next day, and then we reset, and it becomes kind of a meaningless life.”

Spending versus investing dopamine

Remember that dopamine is involved in many bodily processes. Hence, Andrew said:

We're always spending (dopamine), but then there are these things that require effort, that we’re still spending dopamine while we're doing it. Like, if you go do a workout, you're spending effort (and dopamine) to do it, but you get something back on that investment. So you're investing it, you're not just spending it.

Spending Dopamine

• Spending dopamine refers to activities that provide immediate, low-level rewards without requiring substantial effort. These activities often keep you in a rut of doing things that ultimately harm your life over the long run.

  Andrew said, “what I think is very dangerous … is this notion of dopamine that's not preceded by effort. Basically, anytime we find ourselves in frictionless or low friction foraging, we're in serious trouble.”

Investing Dopamine

• Investing dopamine involves engaging in activities that require effort and reflection, resulting in long-term returns and greater satisfaction.
  I noted, “the vast majority of things that are good for us today and that help us grow and that help us become better humans they're going to be hard in the short-term.”

  These activities, often challenging, are a sort of prerequisite for long-term growth and feeling good about life.

Top ways we can invest dopamine

Let’s be clear: I’m not saying people should never do activities that fall purely under spending. Spending can be fun.

But I think we’re better off when spending is offset by plenty of intentional investments.

Case in point: I made a damning admission on the podcast, Leah and I love watching Real Housewives of Salt Lake City². That’s pure, out-of-control spending.

But I don’t binge the show all day—I watch it after I’ve written, worked out, and completed other important tasks (investments). Then I can fully enjoy the chaos of the Housewives (spending).

Here are 10 life-changing ways to invest dopamine. Add your own to the comments.

1. Exercise

This one’s obvious, but exercise is arguably the best thing you can do to improve your health and how you see the world.

People will often ask me what the “best” form of exercise is. In this context, I’d say “all of them.” I think lifting, slow cardio, high-intensity cardio, weighted walking, yoga, sports, and more each offer their own set of long-term lessons and benefits—physical, psychological, emotional, and even spiritual.