In this episode Justin and Eric talk about the human brain’s inherent reward system, and how it gets us both in and out of trouble. Deep diving into topics including:
- Parks and Recreation: Treat Yo-self
- The difference between self care and treating yourself
- How the reward system of the brain works and why it exists
- Dopamine and reward prediction error
- Dopamine created by anticipation
- Pursuing success
- Addictive personalities
- Food being a gateway drug
- Abusing the dopamine system
- Accepting your addictive personality
- Making healthier trades
- Using the reward system optimally
- Making a game out of chores
- List making and accomplishment
- Motivated by rewards
- Getting up early
- Motivated by a sense of superiority
- Positive reinforcement
- Using competition for good
- Removing negative experiences
- Tacfit
- Kelly McGonigal article https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_surprising_ways_exercise_changes_your_brain
- mind body health
- The Willpower Instinct, The Joy of Movement, The Upside of Stress
- Fitness and the Reward System
- Exercise high
- Exercise making you more likeable
- Expanding your capacity for joy
- Exercise makes you brave
- balancing your nervous system
- Fitness metaphors
- Lifting heavy burdens, breaking through, enduring discomfort
- Building trust and belonging with fitness
- Collective effervescence
- Communal joy
- Suffering together with others
- Enhancing your self image
- Vulnerability in fitness
- Vulnerability and sex
- Emotional steroids
- Pursuing vulnerability with a partner
- pinnacle of intimacy
- listening to someone else’s needs
- positive self reinforcement
- Giving yourself a plus one
- functional narcissism
- Giving yourself credit
- Feeling bad for not exercising
- The end justifying the means
- Feeling lethargic and bloated after eating
- Eating clean
- Having good energy levels from food
- Long term gratification as a reward
- Reward dosage and frequency
- Feeling guilty from eating
- A balanced reward to work ratio
- Earning your reward
- The importance of short term rewards
- Giving yourself permission to celebrate and reward yourself
- Staying motivated with short term rewards
- Pitfalls of the reward system
- Being creative with rewards
- Managing your competitive nature
- Losing self compassion
- Trap of achievement
- Compulsive and impulsive behaviors
- The economics of health
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Being intentional
- Reframing health
- Recovering from being lazy and irresponsible
- Finding a new way of self discipline
- Doing what works for me
- positive negativity
- Feeling worthy of self care