What dopamine is
- A brain chemical linked to motivation, focus, and reward
- It drives wanting, not happiness
- It pushes you to take action, seek rewards, and repeat behaviors
What dopamine does
- Increases motivation to start tasks
- Reinforces habits (good or bad)
- Controls focus and attention
- Trains your brain on what to chase
Main dopamine sources
High-dopamine (fast, addictive)
- Social media, reels, TikTok
- Junk food / sugar
- Video games
- Gambling
- Notifications
- Binge-watching
Medium dopamine
- Music
- Coffee / caffeine
- Shopping
- Entertainment
- Casual chatting
Low but healthy dopamine
- Deep work
- Exercise
- Cold exposure
- Learning
- Completing hard tasks
- Progress toward goals
- Meaningful conversations
Key rule to remember
Cheap dopamine today = weak focus tomorrow
Earned dopamine = long-term motivation