Self-improvement and growth are a big topic for me and I think it is everyone's duty to become the best version of himself. I try to read every day and with this blog, I want to summarize the books that I have read and say my thoughts about them.

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Devin Hasler


## 🚀 The Book in 3 Sentences

1. There is no pleasure without pain
2. It is possible to release pleasure with pressing on the pain side
3. A long exposure to increased dopamine can lead to changes in your brain plasticity

## 🕵🏼Who Should Read It?

The book is applicable to everyone's life. Every person on this earth releases dopamine for everything they do or for everything they are looking for. Knowing what the pleasure-pain balance is has the power to improve everyone's life.

## ☘️ How the Book Changed Me

I found the book very interesting, as I am a big fan of more scientifically based books. Anna provides interesting real-life examples about the theories she presents from her psychiatric practice. It was astonishing for me to learn that we humans are basically not meant to be happy all the time. Due to the pleasure-pain balance, it is biologically not possible to be happy all the time. After reading this book, I now think differently about the phases of one's life where things don't seem to work as smoothly as in other times. I think of them as something human and not something that is bad.

## ✍️ My Top Quotes

> “Persons with severe addictions are among those contemporary prophets that we ignore to our own demise, for they show us who we truly are.” Kent Dunnington
>

> “Any prolonged or repeated departures from hedonic or affective neutrality have a cost.” Richard Solomon and John Corbit
>

## 📒 Summary + Notes

The general topic of the book, as the name suggests, is Dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that bridges the distance between neurons, much like a baseball bridges the distance between the pitcher and catcher. Dopamine is known as the 'feel-good' hormone as it is responsible in our body for rewarding us when we achieve something. Although scientists have discovered that dopamine may play a bigger role in the motivation to get a reward than the pleasure of the reward itself.

The problem is that dopamine does not know if we do something to survive and preserve our race or if we are just lazy lying on the couch watching Netflix. Because our brain and our reward system are not made for the highly stimulating environment we live in, they suffer under immense overload. When we eat a fat Big Mac, our brain thinks we hunted the biggest animal on the planet and awards us for being so brave and feasting our body with so many calories and fats. What our body doesn’t know is that we have the potential to eat an unlimited amount of Big Macs because we left the era of hunting many centuries ago.

<img src="/images/blog/dopamineNation/dopamineMethology.png" alt="Dopamine as a Neurotransmitter explained" title="Dopamine as a Neurotransmitter explained" width="50%" height="auto" />

Dopamine as a Neurotransmitter

### Part 1: The Pursuit of Pleasure

As already mentioned, we live in a world with an abundance of dopamine-rewarding technologies and things to do. What we lack is the ability to cope with that and handle it. That is how we get addicted.

The definition of addiction is as follows:

Addiction is the continued and compulsive consumption of a substance or behavior (gambling, gaming, sex) despite its harm to self and/or others.

And why do we consume these substances or continue to engage in that behavior, you may ask? Because the consumption releases dopamine.

The problem is that these substances and behaviors are so easily accessible. We need zero effort to go from the couch to the fridge, and already we are able to consume as many calories as we want.

**********************************************The pleasure-pain cycle**********************************************

In addition to discovering dopamine, scientists also found that pleasure and pain are processed in overlapping brain regions. This means that pleasure and pain work in a balance. As a result, the balance does not want to be out of balance on either side for a long period of time. Because of that, it is biologically impossible to be happy all the time. Also, this implies that even if you only pursue things that make you happy, you will not be happier compared to someone who sometimes does something that they do not like.

### Part 2: Self-Binding

There are multiple ways to address a dopamine 'overdose.' The goal of all these methods is to reset the dopamine level to a normal state. One of the mentioned ways, for example, is to undergo a dopamine detox. This is a widely discussed topic, and multiple videos can be found on the internet about how to do that. In short, it involves the absence of highly stimulating activities or consumptions for a period of time. One method to achieve this is the method of self-binding, where you make it as difficult as possible to consume or engage in certain behaviour.

### Part 3: The Pursuit of Pain

Due to the fact that pain and pleasure work in balance, pleasure can be attained by pressing on the pain side. This is, for example, the explanation for the good feelings after a gym session or the hype after an ice bath. A study conducted on dogs found that when dogs were given small electroshocks, they whined, and their heart started pumping fast. However, after some time, their heart rate fell lower than the average heart rate before the shock. This meant that they were more relaxed than before the shock. Also, the repeated exposure to this shock led to a decrease in the shock, but the feel-good feeling lasted longer than after the first time.

Because of all these factors, we should manage our dopamine consumption much more, especially as a child. Overconsumption can lead to long-lasting changes in brain plasticity. That is why it is important to manage the consumption of dopamine, as it can lead to depression and a loss of motivation. I highly recommend reading this book as it contains much more information than it is possible to mention in this blog. I hope you like this blog and I look forward to to seeing you reading my next blog post.

Regards
Devin Hasler

A book about the problems of dopamine flooded world and the problem that come with it.

Dopamine Nation



## 🚀 The Book in 3 Sentences

1. To live in the now is the greatest power
2. All the stress, pain and unhappiness occur because of a separation between the body and the mind
3. Not the past nor the future is relevant only the now

## 🕵🏼Who Should Read It?

The content of the book addresses everyone's life, and every person on this earth fights against the mind, their beliefs, and their emotions. This is why everyone should read this book. However, what I have to say, though, is that I can imagine the style of the book is not for everyone. The book is written in a sort of FAQ format, which is not everyone's favourite. Additionally, the book has a spiritual touch, which may be a bit too much for some people. But despite these points, I would highly recommend everybody to read this book.

## ☘️ How the Book Changed Me

The book changed me positively, as I am now more aware of the importance of being present in many situations. If I experience strong emotions, I remind myself of the sayings of Eckhart Tolle, and I try to acknowledge the feeling and let it pass away. Another thing that I started doing because of the book is being more present in daily tasks such as brushing my teeth, walking, or eating. All of these things have already had an impact on my overall level of happiness and appreciation in life.

## ✍️ My Top 3 Quotes

> “The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle
>

> “You cannot be both unhappy and fully present in the Now.” Eckhart Tolle
>

> “Resistance is the mind.” Eckhart Tolle
>

## 📒 Summary + Notes

As mentioned before, the book is written in an FAQ style, which means that Tolle addresses posed questions and provides answers to them. The book has no underlying storyline. Because of this, I will try to group the posed questions and explain how Eckhart answers them.

### The Now

Eckhart Tolle explains that the "Now" is the only thing to strive for in life. He states that if someone manages to be fully present in the present moment, they have achieved the greatest power in the world. Tolle elaborates that all problems, self-doubt, and stress arise when we fail to live in the present moment. If we dwell on past events or constantly worry about the future, it becomes nearly impossible to find happiness and live a stress-free life. The issue with the past is that we allow our past experiences and actions to limit our potential in the present. The problem with the future is that it is merely an illusion and a product of our imagination. Our minds tend to continually attempt to predict the future, but most of these predictions are filled with negative or worst-case scenarios.

**How to arrive in the now?**

There are multiple ways to enter the present moment, but one of the most commonly used and recognized methods is meditation. Of course, there are various forms of meditation, but one of the simplest forms is focusing on your breath. During meditation, you become the observer of your breath and your body in general. Your thoughts become like clouds that come and disappear. This allows you to reach a state of deep calm and tranquillity: the present moment.

In your daily life, there are many opportunities to be more present in the now. One possibility is to fully feel every step as you walk or to be fully present while eating your meals. You can engage all your senses and feel all the muscles working as you eat.

These brief and small moments of presence in the present moment will dissolve stress and negative thoughts, ultimately improving your day and overall happiness.

### The mind

On the journey of becoming more present, it is vital to acknowledge that you are not the mind. If you believe that you are your mind, you create an illusion of separateness, the illusion that there is a distinct "you" and a completely separate "other." This leads to unconsciousness and a lack of presence. Eckhart emphasizes that it is not necessary to understand the mind on a scientific level, but rather to recognize that you are not your mind. It's important not to mistake the mind itself for a bad thing. The real issue arises when you seek your true self solely within the mind.

The mind also significantly influences the body, which is why being present is crucial. If you cannot feel your emotions and remain disconnected from them, you will eventually experience them solely on a physical level, manifesting as physical problems or symptoms.

### Surrender

To become free from stress and pain, one must surrender. This aspect aligns with Stoicism, as Stoics like Marcus Aurelius (to learn more about Marcus Aurelius, check out this blog: **[Meditations](https://www.peopleofgrowth.com/blog/meditations)**) often state, "What is natural cannot be bad."

The pain you experience is always a result of non-acceptance, an unconscious resistance to what is. Some spiritual teachings even go as far as to claim that all pain in the world is merely an illusion. Surrendering in the context of pain means going into and through the pain instead of resisting it. This may seem counterintuitive, but it leads to accepting and acknowledging the pain, ultimately reducing its dominance.

Eckhart Tolle explains all these concepts with a simple and informal writing style, making the reading of the book highly enjoyable and leading to eye-opening realizations. I highly recommend reading the book to gain a deeper understanding of the power of the present moment. I hope to see you in my next blog post.

With regards  
Devin Hasler

a book by Eckhart Tolle in which he explains the importance of living in the now.

Happiness

Dopamine Nation

The power of Now