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Positive thinking can stimulate dopamine from "summary" of Habits of a Happy Brain by Loretta Graziano Breuning
When you focus on positive thoughts, your brain releases dopamine. This brain chemical rewards you with a good feeling. It’s the good feeling that motivates animals to approach what feels good. Dopamine motivates you to repeat the behavior that triggered its release. Positive thinking triggers dopamine even when nothing particularly good is happening. This is because your brain is comparing what is happening to what it expected to happen. When you view an event as better than expected, your brain releases dopamine. This motivates you to repeat whatever thoughts led to that dopamine. That’s why you hear a lot about the power of positive thinking. It’s not just an abstract idea. It’s a neurochemical reality. Our brain evolved to keep us alive in a world where danger was everywhere. Negative thoughts trigger cortisol. That’s what motivated our ancestors to run from danger. But in the modern world, we don’t have to run from danger every day. Negative thoughts can trigger cortisol even when there’s no danger present. Cortisol is fine in small doses. It helps you stay alert in an emergency. But it causes stress symptoms when it’s released too often. You can’t control these hormone releases directly. But you can manage your thinking to trigger more dopamine. Dopamine offsets the cortisol and gives you a good feeling. It’s an excellent motivator for taking positive action. When you have a thought about the future, your brain releases dopamine. This motivates you to take steps towards your goal. Dopamine helps you persist in pursuing a goal. When you achieve the goal, your brain releases more dopamine. This is what gives you a good feeling. It’s not just about the achievement itself. It’s about the dopamine that’s released in anticipation and in response to the achievement. It’s the same with the goal of becoming a more positive thinker. When you take steps towards that goal, your brain rewards you with dopamine. This motivates you to keep going. Your brain evolved to avoid danger. This is why it’s so good at releasing cortisol. But in the modern world, we often trigger cortisol when there’s no real danger. This is why it’s so important to understand how your brain works. When you see that your negative thoughts are triggering cortisol, you can choose to focus on positive thoughts instead. This will trigger dopamine, which will counteract the cortisol. It’s not about pretending that everything is perfect. It’s about understanding the chemicals that your brain releases in response to your thoughts. This understanding can
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