Have you found interesting healthy ways to boost these "feel good chemicals"? By all means share your experiences here, and we'll update this list. This post is not scientific, it's purely to help us combat addiction. About These "feel good" chemicals are pretty amazing, and as YBOP mentions deficiency of them goes hand in hand with addiction. A must read : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thai-nguyen/hacking-into-your-happy-c_b_6007660.html Dopamine Instead of giant daunting goals, break them down to achievable milestones Acknowledge small goals completion and reward yourself, creating positive reinforcements. Write down 3 positive events/achievements daily (example) Serotonin Sunlight exposure, 10min/day Imparting knowledge Positive reinforcements, e.g. compliments on specific job from colleague/employer Cuddle, esp between strangers Co-op multiplayer games, esp ones with mics & where you fill a certain role to the team Exercise, esp cardio Oxytocin Eye contact, esp between members of opposite sex Physical touch, handshake->hug->cuddle Orgasm between two people, extra levels if they're strangers. (sorry, that's life) Endorphins Strenuous exercise, e.g. lifting to failure. Laughter, and even anticipation of. (e.g. standup comedy in youtube is amazing) Resting tip of tongue correctly on your palate "spot" (see myofunctional therapy)
Am keen to also list the non-healthy/unnatural ways to boost these, the more we learn about ourselves the better. Example 1: Many of us (myself included) like to give unsolicited advice on these forums, that boosts our Serotonin and makes us feel important, however when you break it down you realize we are just deficient at that time. There's nothing wrong with this, but I want to learn more about myself. Dopamine Seeking novelty PMO. Drugs Clickbait articles Serotonin Giving unsolicited advice Criminal activity & law enforcement, specifically position of authority. Alcohol, I enjoy a couple drinks a week but it's a toxin and costs $$$ Self-centered conversation & arguments (i.e. the "me" syndrome) Facebooking, esp for women Trolling Oxytocin Hookers, I love the concept but let's be real about the crazy $$$, clock watching, etc ... Endorphins Physical masochism (incl. habits such as nail biting)
An excellent observation of negative behaviour due to low-serotonin levels, the more we learn about ourselves the better.
Hmmm. Your advice is solid, but I would be wary of putting them into definite categories of neurotransmitters. Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphin are but a small handful of up to a hundred neurotransmitters that we currently know of, all interacting in a near infinite sea of complexity that is the human brain. In a hundred years' time, people will most probably look back and laugh at us for holding such basic and primitive ideas surrounding dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. By all means, achieve bite-sized goals, exercise regularly, and show affection. This is good tried-and-tested advice that has already been around for thousands of years. But it is way too premature to definitively link these activities to boosting dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain as if it's a good thing. Especially when unhealthy/addictive behaviour ironically also boost these same levels. So what's the point? It's overly reductionist. A good example of what I'm talking about is the face-palming idea of masturbating to porn in cycles in order to induce "superpowers". We just don't know enough about neurotransmitters regarding human cognition and behaviour. I assume we know almost nothing at all. All we have at the moment are correlations. The biggest downside to this "chemical imbalance" model of the brain is that most people will tend to oversimplify and think of the brain like some kind of hydroponic vat, with all the nutrients (neurotransmitters) that have to be maintained at the perfect balance so that the plant (person) can grow as optimally as possible. But this visualisation is utterly pointless, unnecessary and simplistic for overcoming addiction. None of us have the ability to monitor our neurotransmitter levels. All we have is our overactive imagination. People will let their imaginations run away with them and think that they are "literally feeling" these levels being depleted by their addiction. They can "literally feel" themselves "damaging" their own brain. It's a harmful delusion that only serves to increase anxiety. They are ignorant of the fact that the human brain is far more resilient than they give credit for. It's power to self-heal and adapt is as miraculous as it is mysterious, given enough time. My advice is just to trust in the brain. Set up as good an environment as one can for healing, and then trust in the brain to heal and fix itself at it's own pace. Don't try to force it or rush it because that is counterproductive. Nobody in the world knows how to heal the brain better than the brain itself. All of the healing happens behind the scenes, in ways that we are not conscious of.
Thanks mate, I've just added a note this thread is not a pursuit of science, it's purely to help combat addiction. If you take a moment and reflect, you'll notice your post highlights many of the positive & negative sides of the pursuit of Serotonin. It is never too late to learn more about ourselves brother.
Well done for starting the thread, I was fascinated by our discussion that led to it, my posts on here have become a lot more succinct since I realized I might have been trying to make serotonin with my keyboard bashing sessions Whether the current neurotransmitter model is to be superseeded we don;t know, but is likely to since all things are. However it does offer an interesting breakdown of the different factors and drivers of motivation.
The unhealthy side weighs much more for me before I signed up here. I honestly think I spent most of my life listening only to respond, and cutting people off mid sentence to get what I needed out of my head before I forgot. Also, there definitely was an online social aspect of my porn use; the novelty of an infinite number of people to interact with was very alluring/addictive (especially as a social shut-in).
Great to see you here mate! And back at ya, those discussions were nothing short of enthralling, many things in life make so much sense now, it's hard to explain. Wow man this really hits hard. Hard to admit that I've been doing exactly that for many years, and only ended up with less and less friends. Been slowly improving on it lately, and noticed couple old friends (I used to have to chase for a catchup) now want to be around me more .. it is such an odd feeling, and looking forward to improve on this farther. Interesting, are you referring to vids/images of people on tube sites, or actual people on cam sites?
Found a new one for Endorphins, this one will blow your mind. Most people don't know this, but correct tongue placement has the tip on a certain spot on the top palate which constantly releases Endorphins. Took me long time to figure exact spot out, and retraining the muscles will take even longer. But this works and is quite addictive (lol), just like video state it does help mitigate other nasty habits like nail chewing, nose picking, etc. Again please understand it took me months to finally experience this. If you want to learn more look up "Myofunctional Therapy".
