NEUROSCIENTIST explains How to do Nofap | Andrew Huberman
Summary
TLDRThe script delves into the impact of intense stimuli like pornography on dopamine levels, potentially skewing real-world interactions. It discusses the neurobiological aspects of dopamine release and how it can affect our perception of time and pleasure, especially in activities like hard work. The speaker emphasizes the importance of intrinsic motivation over extrinsic rewards to foster a growth mindset and harness dopamine's power for discipline and effort, suggesting that we can rewire our brains to find pleasure in the process rather than the outcome.
Takeaways
- 🚫 The accessibility and intensity of pornography can negatively influence real-world romantic and sexual interactions due to altered neurobiological responses.
- 🧠 Dopamine release from activities like pornography can make it harder to achieve the same level of satisfaction through subsequent real-world interactions.
- 🌟 The discussion on pornography is not about passing judgment but understanding the underlying mechanisms that affect behavior.
- 🎯 Many individuals who are addicted to pornography face challenges in real-world romantic relationships, which underscores the impact of dopamine on behavior.
- 🏆 Rewards, whether monetary or social, can be beneficial, but they can also alter our perception of time and pleasure, especially when they are extrinsic to the activity itself.
- 🎨 A classic Stanford experiment showed that children who were rewarded for an activity they enjoyed intrinsically were less likely to engage in it without the reward, highlighting the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
- ⏳ Dopamine controls our perception of time, and focusing on end rewards can make activities feel more arduous and less enjoyable, which is counterproductive for developing a growth mindset.
- 💪 Cultivating a growth mindset involves learning to find pleasure in effort and challenge, which can be achieved by accessing the prefrontal component of the dopamine reward circuit.
- 🏋️♂️ Focusing solely on end goals can undermine the ability to generate dopamine from effort, making the process less enjoyable and less efficient.
- 🏅 It's beneficial to associate the feeling of effort with an internally generated reward system rather than relying on external rewards, which can amplify performance in all endeavors.
Q & A
How does the accessibility and intensity of pornography potentially impact real-world romantic and sexual interactions?
-The accessibility and intensity of pornography can negatively shape real-world romantic and sexual interactions by altering neurobiological mechanisms and dopamine release, making it harder to achieve the same level of dopamine through subsequent real-world interactions.
What is the ethical and moral discussion surrounding pornography mentioned in the script?
-The ethical and moral discussion is about whether or not people should engage with pornography, which is a personal decision that each individual has to make based on their values and beliefs.
Why does engaging in activities that release a lot of dopamine make it harder to achieve the same level of dopamine through other interactions?
-Activities that release a lot of dopamine set a high baseline, making it more challenging to achieve the same level of pleasure or satisfaction through other, less intense interactions.
How does the concept of intrinsic versus extrinsic reinforcement relate to the dopamine system?
-Intrinsic reinforcement is the enjoyment derived from an activity itself, while extrinsic reinforcement involves external rewards. The dopamine system is more strongly engaged by intrinsic rewards, and introducing extrinsic rewards can reduce the pleasure associated with the activity itself.
What is the significance of the Stanford experiment with children and drawing mentioned in the script?
-The Stanford experiment demonstrated that when children who enjoyed drawing were given rewards for their drawings, they became less likely to draw without the reward, showing how external rewards can diminish intrinsic motivation.
How does the dopamine system affect our perception of time in relation to rewards?
-Dopamine controls our perception of time by marking the duration and intensity of experiences. When rewards are expected at the end of an activity, the dopamine system extends the perceived time of the activity, making it feel more challenging.
What is the growth mindset theory and how does it relate to dopamine and effort?
-The growth mindset theory, developed by Carol Dweck, emphasizes the value of effort and the process of striving for improvement over the outcome. It encourages focusing on the effort itself, which can help cultivate a dopamine release from the activity, enhancing performance and enjoyment.
Why is it beneficial to associate effort with an internally generated reward system rather than external rewards?
-Associating effort with an internal reward system can lead to a more consistent dopamine release during the activity, enhancing focus, energy, and the overall experience. Relying on external rewards can lead to a decrease in intrinsic motivation and pleasure from the activity itself.
How can one learn to spike dopamine from effort itself rather than from external rewards?
-One can learn to spike dopamine from effort by consciously focusing on the activity and its challenges, telling oneself that the effort is pleasurable and by choice, and repeating this mindset over time until it becomes reflexive.
What is the role of the prefrontal cortex in cultivating a growth mindset and accessing dopamine from effort?
-The prefrontal cortex is involved in executive functions like self-regulation and decision-making. It plays a crucial role in cultivating a growth mindset by allowing individuals to consciously choose to find pleasure in effort and to access the associated dopamine release.
Why is it important not to spike dopamine prior to or after engaging in effort?
-Spike dopamine prior to or after engaging in effort can interfere with the natural dopamine release that occurs during the activity itself. This can lead to a decreased ability to experience pleasure from the effort and can make the activity feel more painful or less rewarding.
Outlines
🚫 Impact of Intensity in Media on Real-Life Interactions
The paragraph discusses the negative influence of pornography, particularly its intensity, on shaping real-world romantic and sexual interactions. It emphasizes that the discussion is not about passing judgment but understanding the neurobiological mechanisms behind dopamine release and addiction. The speaker clarifies that while dopamine release from any activity can be addictive, the challenge lies in achieving the same level of dopamine through subsequent real-life interactions. The paragraph also introduces the concept of intrinsic versus extrinsic reinforcement and how external rewards can diminish the pleasure derived from an activity, using the example of children drawing for rewards and then losing interest once the rewards are removed.
💪 Cultivating a Growth Mindset Through Effort
This paragraph delves into the challenge of associating effort with pleasure, which is crucial for cultivating a growth mindset. It explains that focusing solely on end goals can lead to a decrease in the enjoyment and efficiency of the process due to the way dopamine, which is linked to our perception of time, works. The speaker suggests that instead of seeking external rewards, one should learn to derive pleasure from the effort itself, which can be achieved by engaging the prefrontal component of the mesolympic circuit. This involves telling oneself that the effort is pleasurable, even in the face of physical pain or discomfort. The paragraph also touches on the idea that this mindset can become reflexive over time, leading to an increase in dopamine release from effort, which can enhance focus and energy.
🏋️♂️ The Power of Effort and Dopamine Release
The final paragraph reinforces the importance of not spiking dopamine levels before or after engaging in effort, but rather learning to derive dopamine release from the effort itself. It highlights that by doing so, one can prevent interference with the natural dopaminergic circuitry that is designed to reward effort and challenge. The speaker encourages individuals to recognize the power of this circuitry and to access it by focusing on the effort and the choice to engage in it, rather than the external rewards that may follow. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing that this ability is accessible to everyone and has been a key factor in human evolution and success.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Pornography
💡Dopamine
💡Neurobiological mechanisms
💡Addiction
💡Intrinsic versus extrinsic reinforcement
💡Growth mindset
💡Effort and friction
💡Dopaminergic circuits
💡Reward system
💡Perception of time
💡David Goggins
Highlights
The impact of pornography's intensity on shaping real-world romantic and sexual interactions is a serious concern.
Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms behind the effects of pornography on dopamine release.
The ethical and moral discussions around pornography should be individualized.
Dopamine release from activities can make it harder to achieve the same level through subsequent interactions.
Many people are addicted to pornography, which can lead to challenges in real-world romantic interactions.
The positive and negative aspects of rewards for behavior and how they relate to the dopamine system.
A protocol to achieve a better relationship with activities and the dopamine system is suggested.
Hard work is generally challenging, and rewards can make it more difficult to engage in future hard work.
The classic Stanford experiment on intrinsic versus extrinsic reinforcement and its impact on children's drawing.
Receiving rewards can lead to associating less pleasure with the activity that evoked the reward.
Dopamine controls our perception of time and how we experience activities.
Focusing on end goals can make the process of hard work less enjoyable and more painful.
The growth mindset principle by Carol Dweck emphasizes the importance of effort over end results.
Cultivating a growth mindset involves learning to access rewards from effort and doing.
The misolympic reward pathway allows for internal generation of rewards from effort.
Attaching the feeling of friction and effort to an internally generated reward system is beneficial.
David Goggins is an example of someone who has turned effort into reward through his mindset and actions.
The ability to access pleasure from effort is a powerful aspect of our dopaminergic circuitry.
To prevent interference with dopamine release from effort, avoid spiking dopamine before and after engaging in effort.
Transcripts
should become obvious why things like
pornography not just the accessibility
of pornography but the intensity of
pornography can negatively shape real
world romantic and sexual interactions
this is a serious concern the discussion
is happening now the underlying
neurobiological mechanisms You Now
understand this isn't to pass judgment
on whether or not people like or don't
like pornography that's an ethical
discussion it's a moral discussion that
has to be decided for each individual
but again any activity that evokes a lot
of dopamine release will make it harder
to achieve the same level and certainly
the greater level of dopamine through a
subsequent interaction yes indeed many
people are addicted to pornography and
yes indeed many people who regularly
indulge in pornography
experience challenges in real world
romantic interactions You Now understand
the mechanisms behind what I'm telling
you now I'd like to talk about the
positive aspects of rewards for our
Behavior and the negative aspects of
rewards for our behavior and from that I
will suggest a protocol by which you can
achieve a better relationship to your
activities and to your dopamine system
in fact it will help tune up your
dopamine system for discipline hard work
and motivation hard work is hard
generally most people don't like working
hard some people do but most people work
hard in order to achieve some end goal
end goals are terrific and rewards are
terrific whether or not they are
monetary social
or any kind because of the way that
dopamine relates to our perception of
time working hard at something for sake
of a reward that comes afterward can
make the hard work much more challenging
and make us much less likely to lean
into hard work in the future let me give
you a couple examples by way of data and
experiments there's a classic experiment
done actually at Stanford many years ago
in which children in Nursery School and
kindergarten
Drew pictures and they drew pictures
because they like to draw the
researchers took kids that liked to draw
and they started giving them a reward
for drawing the reward generally was a
gold star or something that a young
child would find rewarding then they
stopped giving them the gold star and
what they found is the children had a
much lower tendency to draw on their own
no reward now remember this was an
activity that prior to receiving a
reward the children intrinsically
enjoyed and selected to do no one was
telling them to draw what this relates
to is so-called intrinsic versus
extrinsic reinforcement when we receive
rewards even if we give ourselves
rewards for something
we tend to associate less pleasure with
the actual activity itself that evoked
the reward now that might seem
counter-intuitive but that's just way
the way that these dopaminergic circuits
work
and now understanding these Peaks and
baselines in dopamine which I won't
review again
this should make sense
if you get a peak in dopamine from a
reward it's going to lower your Baseline
and the cognitive interpretation
is that you didn't really do the
activity because you enjoyed the
activity you did it for the reward now
this doesn't mean all rewards of all
kinds are bad but it's also important to
understand that dopamine controls our
perception of time when and how much
dopamine we experience is the way that
we carve up what we call our experience
of time when we engage in an activity
let's say school or hard work of any
kind or exercise
because of the reward we are going to
give ourselves or receive at the end the
trophy the Sunday the meal whatever it
happens to be we actually are extending
the time bin over which we are
analyzing or perceiving that experience
and because the reward comes at the end
we start to dissociate the neural
circuits for dopamine and reward that
would have normally been active during
the activity
and because it all arrives at the end
over time we have the experience of less
and less pleasure from that particular
activity while we're doing it now this
is the antithesis of growth mindset my
colleague at Stanford Carol dweck as
many of you know has come up with this
incredible
Theory and principle and it actually
goes beyond theory in principle called
growth mindset which is this striving to
be better to be in this mindset of I'm
not there yet but striving itself is
the end goal and that of course delivers
you to tremendous performance has been
observed over and over and over again
that people that have growth mindset
kids that have growth mindset end up
performing very well because they're
focused on the effort itself and all of
us can cultivate growth mindset the
neural mechanism of cultivating growth
mindset involves learning to access the
rewards from effort and doing
and that's hard to do
because you have to engage this
prefrontal component of the mesolympic
circuit you have to tell yourself okay
this effort is great this effort is
pleasureful even though you might
actually be in a state of physical pain
from the exercise or I can recall this
from college just feeling like I want to
get up from my desk but forcing myself
to study forcing myself and forcing
myself what you find over time is that
you can start to associate a dopamine
release you can evoke dopamine release
from the friction and the challenge that
you happen to be in
you completely eliminate the ability to
generate those circuits and the
rewarding process of being able to
reward friction while in effort if you
are focused only on the goal that comes
at the end because of the way that
dopamine marks time so if you say oh I'm
going to do this very hard thing and I'm
going to push and push and push and push
for that end goal that comes later
not only
do you enjoy the process of what you're
doing less you actually make it more
painful while you're engaging in it you
make yourself less efficient at it
because if you were able to access
dopamine while in effort dopamine has
all these incredible properties of
increasing the amount of energy in our
body and in our mind our ability to
focus by way of dopamine's conversion
into epinephrine but also you are
undermining your ability to lean back
into that activity the next time the
next time you need
twice as much coffee and three times as
much loud music and four times as much
energy drink and the social connection
just to get out the door in order to do
the run or to study so what's more
beneficial in fact can serve as a
tremendous amplifier on all Endeavors
that you engage in
especially hard Endeavors is to a not
start layering in other sources of
dopamine in order to get to the starting
line not layering in other sources of
dopamine in order to be able to continue
but rather
to subjectively start to attach the
feeling of friction and effort to an
internally generated reward system and
this is not meant to be vague this is a
system that exists in your mind that
exists in the minds of humans for
hundreds of thousands of years by which
you're not just pursuing the things that
are innately pleasureful food sex warmth
water when you're thirsty but the beauty
of this misolympic reward pathway that I
talked about earlier is that it includes
the forebrain so you can tell yourself
the effort part is the good part I know
it's painful I know this doesn't feel
good but I'm focused on this I'm going
to start to access the reward you will
find the rewards meaning the dopamine
release inside of effort if you repeat
this over and over again and what's
beautiful about it is that it starts to
become reflexive for all types of effort
when we focus only on the trophy only on
the grade only on the win as the reward
you undermine that entire process
so how do you do this
you do this in those moments of the most
intense friction you tell yourself this
is very painful and because it's painful
it will evoke an increase in dopamine
release later meaning it will increase
my Baseline in dopamine but you also
have to tell yourself that in that
moment
you are doing it by choice and you're
doing it because
you love it and I know that sounds like
lying to yourself and in some ways it is
lying to yourself but it's lying to
yourself in the context of a truth which
is
that you want it to feel better you want
it to feel even pleasureful now this is
very far and away different from
thinking about the reward that comes at
the end the hot fudge Sunday for after
you cross the finish line and you can
replace hot fudge Sunday with whatever
reward happens to to be appealing to you
we Revere people who are capable of
doing what I'm describing
David Goggins comes to mind as a really
good example many of you are probably
familiar with David Goggins former Navy
SEAL who essentially has made a
post-military career career out of
explaining and sharing his process of
turning the effort into the reward
there are many other examples of this
too of course throughout evolutionary
history there's no question that we
revered people who were willing to go
out and forage and hunt and gather and
caretake
in ways that other members of our
species probably found exhausting and
probably would have preferred to just
put their feet up or soak them in a cool
stream rather than continue to forage
the ability to access this pleasure from
effort aspect of our dopaminergic
circuitry is without question the most
powerful aspect of dopamine in our
biology of dopamine and the beautiful
thing is it's accessible to all of us
but just to highlight the things that
can interfere with and prevent you from
getting dopamine release
from effort itself
don't Spike dopamine prior to engaging
in effort
and don't Spike dopamine after engaging
in effort learn to spike your dopamine
from effort itself
Weitere ähnliche Videos ansehen
Overcome External Rewards to Achieve Your Goals | Andrew Huberman
If You Take A Break From Watching Porn, This Happens - Andrew Huberman
Дофамин. Как научиться управлять своими желаниями? Стань успешным без усилий.
Neuroscientist: "This Simple Skill Will Keep You Motivated" | Andrew Huberman
Chuyện gì xảy ra trong não khi bạn xem ...
How to MASTER Your Dopamine and TAKE CONTROL of Your LIFE... | Andrew Huberman
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)