Throughout the day, we tend to gravitate towards focusing on new and novel things—sometimes because we truly want and need to, and other times because they give us a dopamine hit. (The latter is the novelty bias at work.) Often, usually not by choice, we have to go without dopamine for a while. This is when dopamine pressure builds up.
For an example of this, think about how everyone pretty much immediately picks up their phone after the plane lands, especially when there’s no wifi on board. Or how, when you’re watching a movie at the theatre, everyone checks their phone after the movie ends (assuming they’re not checking it during the show). Or how, when a couple is on a date at a restaurant, one of them pulls out their phone while the other is in the bathroom.
We want to return to homeostasis—the same altitude of mental stimulation we were at before we had to go without the dopamine hits.
Here’s my challenge for you: try to notice this dopamine pressure once today. I’ve noticed it a couple of places in my own days recently. Sometimes when I do a yoga class on the living room TV, I feel the urge to flip over to YouTube right after. Other times, I’ll be reading a book while also feeling the urge to stimulate my mind once more.
After you notice this dopamine pressure, question why you’re experiencing it. You may actually value stimulation, and are comfortable flying at a higher altitude of stimulation, which is more than okay. Maybe, on the other hand, you want to focus more deeply, become less distractible, and calm your mind. If that’s the case, you may want to lower your altitude of stimulation.
Either way, for becoming more aware, noticing the pressure of dopamine is a great place to start.
