Simplified model of the human decision-making brain

First of all, a simplified model of the brain is that we humans have two different decision-making processes. Process 1 is for survival; our survival brain operates in hundredths of a second. Process 2 is for resourcefulness like critical thinking and emotional regulation, and those parts of the brain operate in seconds.

The two parts operate together in that first, by default, our survival parts of the brain decide what we need to do to survive, and our resourceful parts provide the justification and sometimes the how. And second, when we come to understand how these two parts of the brain operate, we can use our resourceful parts to quiet our fight/flight survival responses and tap into our resourcefulness.

Hormones play a role. When our survival brain detects what it regards as a threat or danger, it floods our brain and body with stress hormones, which can focus the entire organism on the threat and the means to overcome it, amplifying fight and flight responses.

When our resourceful parts of the brain are in full operation, we are also flooded with happy hormones, dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins, which give us a feeling of euphoria, flow, curiosity, and sometimes playfulness and connection with others.

The book goes further into both sets of hormones and their effects, but here I want to emphasize the role of dopamine.

In normal situations, dopamine is one of the happy hormones; it signals, “what you are about to do is going to be very enjoyable, do it and do more of it.”

Where dopamine misleads us

• This drug is going to give you euphoria, you need to get more of it.

• Scrolling posts is going to avoid unpleasant work and unites you with your tribe, so keep on scrolling.

• Work pays the rent and is how you show your worth, so work harder, do more

Dopamine triggers our survival brain that unless we continue doing that activity, we will be miserable, and it signals to our resourceful brain that this is an activity that is going to give us pleasure.

Society, marketing, politicians, social media, narcissists, sometimes family, workplaces, large companies, and fast food purveyors all have evolved to activate the release of dopamine to get us to perform whatever behavior supports their goals, but to think that we are doing it because we decided to do it. Their goals, not our goals, but our own brains fool us into believing it’s through personal choice, not manipulation.

How to be happy

Getting off that treadmill requires tricking our brain to quiet those urges and look at what is going to work for us in the longer term.

That’s essentially what the great advice of substack writers like Laura Zug, Kat Nisson, Dr. Jane R. Shore, Dr. Jennifer Weber, Beyond the Box: Nicole & Trici, Adam Grant, Karl Dunn offer, and my book, did I mention my book?

We can take back control. Many of us have. And we are happier, more productive, when we are surrounded by people and activities that support our long term happiness and success.