A Dopamine High, A Mental Health Low

The rising rates of depression and anxiety are hard to comprehend when ‘on the surface’ we have advanced so much as a society. We no longer have to live in ‘fight or flight’ mode, nor, is our survival a daily concern. However, it seems in many ways, our life today is ‘less than’ due to our survival needs being met. It has gotten to the point we don’t even have to leave the house for every single need to be met; (Ocado, Amazon, Netaporter, Netflix, Peloton) 

Living in a society based on consumerism and convenience means we are no longer stimulated by the activities that were once required to keep us alive. We have ample amounts of free time and the need to fill it. As a result, we have turned the world into a playground of dopamine stimulating activities, such as bars, restaurants, theatres, casinos, sporting & music events, to name a few. With this increased time to ‘play’, it seems our brains are hooked on the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure. And where we hope this would be a harmless neurological pathway for our brains to regularly frequent; according to Dr Anna Lembke “ When the brain gets a hit of dopamine, it down-regulates dopamine and gets into a deficit state – so you look to reinforce that good feeling again… If we regularly expose ourselves to things that trigger high levels of dopamine release, we will actually lower our baseline levels of dopamine over time”

Over the last two decades, we understand considerably more about human behaviour and the associated chemical responses. We have learned, if not moderated, how certain behaviours can be destructive and, in this case, lead to the disease that is addiction. 

Traditional addictions; drugs, alcohol and sex are being joined by others, namely; food, gaming and social media. Social media, in particular, is fueling a narcissistic preoccupation with ourselves and obsession with success. Individuals are receiving continuous feedback on themselves and due to the dopamine response associated, are always looking to reinforce it. Dr. Anna Lembke’s “ first message I want to get across about social media is it really is a drug. And it’s intended to be a drug.”  A further issue is an advancement in technology which means our primitively evolved brains are a huge mismatch for our overabundant and advanced society. 

As with all aspects of life, there is a spectrum and addiction lies at the far end. However, the rising number of individuals suffering from depression and anxiety indicate, at least in part, there is a link to dopamine imbalance. This is not a surprising conclusion when looking at published data. In 2021 there are now 45 million social media users, or 66% of the UK population using the platforms. 

The question we need to ask is what can we do to regulate the balance of dopamine and reduce the associated impact on mental health?

We can connect with our environment and stop trying to escape it. In doing so we have to embrace boredom, reconcile with having gaps in our schedules, seek out hard work (specifically manual) and realise the hard way is usually the right way. We have to stop chasing the next dopamine hit, in the form of social activities, positive feedback or the new Netflix series. 

We have to structure our days: lack of structure contributes to stress, which contributes to vulnerability and addiction. Remembering to spread out our dopamine enhancing activities and schedule time for digital detoxes and boredom. 

Finally, we have to come together on a mission to ensure we are finding ways to connect (offline) with each other. As a result of the individual becoming narcissistically preoccupied, we are in danger of isolating ourselves from the collective. We start to forget how to relate to one another or take others into consideration. We need to consciously be aware of this and work together in staying connected, preferably in person. 

My article was inspired by the work of Dr Ann Lembke (a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic) She has recently published Dopamine Nation which I highly recommend.