For a long time, it was thought that dopamine produced happiness. No, dopamine actually produces desire, not pleasure.
Dopamine stimulates the reward-related system in your brain, promising you to feel happy about what you do (e.g., brushing, eating, shopping, etc.).
You must have had the experience that when you think you will be happy when you do something, but when you actually do it, you are not happy.
I often have this feeling, when I brush the small **, I think it's okay at first, but the more I brush, the more unhappy I am, the more unhappy I am.
Because at this time, dopamine is in play again, as if to tell you: keep brushing, you will brush to something that interests you, and you will become happy.
The truth is, the more you brush, the more unhappy you are, and the more unhappy you are, the more you brush.
So, dopamine promises to make you happy, but it doesn't really make you happy. And the more unhappy you are, the more you want to be happy, and the more you do things that make you unhappy.
In the end, what was supposed to make you happy turned out to be the source of pain.
What to do?Find a ** that often indulges you, and realize whether the joy that what you do brings you is real
There are two steps: First, notice how you felt before doing it(e.g., anticipation, hope, excitement, anxiety, etc.).
For example, I like to play mini-games and play until midnight.
In this way, I noticed that I was feeling before the game, anticipation, excitement, joy, and a little apprehension.
The second step is to allow yourself to do it and observe what it really feels like compared to the experience you are expecting
When I actually started playing the game, I found that I felt a little regretful, guilty, self-blame, anxious, and nervous.
I suddenly realized that playing the game itself doesn't make me happy, it's just the anticipation before playing the game that makes me happy and excited.
When I realized this, it seemed that interest in the game itself waned.
You can also try, and maybe you will find that the things you think can bring you happiness don't really make you happy, or that you don't need that much.
We need to distinguish between what makes us truly happy and what is false happiness that distracts us.