You were born with billions of neurons but very few connections between them. You built connections whenever your happy chemicals or unhappy chemicals were flowing. Your brain relies on the pathways it has, but we all end up with some pathways we're better off without. You can build new pathways in your brain to turn on your happy chemicals in new ways. It's not easy, but when you know how your brain works you can do it.
73. Habits of a Happy Brain
Retrain your brain to boost your serotonin,
dopamine, oxytocin and endorphin
Beyond Cynical
Transcend Your Mammalian Negativity
I, Mammal
Why Your Brain Links Status and
Happiness
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83. Vinayak sits all day, and wants to take better care
of his body. He thinks walking one mile a day will
make him happy, and decides to build the habit.
On Day 2 he is not happy about it. He would rather
do other things with his time and energy.
But he decides to honor his promise
to himself, so he does it every day
for 45 days. At the end, he looks
forward to his walk and it feels so
normal that he cannot imagine ever
spending a day without walking.
84. Vinayak enjoys dopamine when he steps toward meeting
his needs.
He enjoys serotonin when he feels pride in his
accomplishment.
He enjoys oxytocin when he walks with a friend.
But these spurts don’t last.
Soon he is thinking about a new goal, and when he takes
a step, his dopamine flows.
85. Amana wants to develop her career skills, but she
never actually takes the steps. She decides to build a
habit of spending a half hour each day building a career
skill. At first, it’s hard work. She feels frustrated and
wants to avoid that bad feeling by forgetting her goal.
But she decides to honor her
promise to herself, so she does it
every day for 45 days. At the end,
she loves her new skill and she
loves her power to learn, so she
keeps doing it.
86. Amana enjoys dopamine when she steps toward meeting
her needs.
She enjoys serotonin when she feels pride in her
accomplishment.
She enjoys oxytocin when she talks to others about career
skills.
But these spurts don’t last.
When she thinks about a new goal, that gets her dopamine
going again.
87. Anand would like more harmony with friends and
family. He decides to spend five minutes a day
communicating his sincere feelings, and five minutes a
day listening to the sincere feelings of others. On Day
2, it’s uncomfortable and he starts to hate the idea.
But he decides to honor his promise
to himself, so he does it every day for
45 days. At the end, he is surprised
to find that he looks forward to these
difficult conversations. He feels like a
different person.
88. Anand enjoys dopamine when he steps toward meeting his
needs.
He enjoys serotonin when he feels pride in his
communication skills.
He enjoys oxytocin when he trusts others and enjoys their
trust.
But these spurts don’t last.
Soon he is thinking about a new goal, and that gets his
dopamine going again.