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Dr. Trish Leigh Podcast
Episode #189: Dopamine Hijack: How Screens Miswire Your Brain and How to Rewire It Back
00:22:44
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Okay. Have you ever picked up your phone just to check one thing and before you know it, 45 minutes are gone or you've done 12 different things. Not that one thing that you intended, but 12 different things. Well, I want you to know that screens are not neutral. They are engineered to hijack your brain and your attention. So today, we're gonna dive into the dopamine hijack of your screen. How it miswires your br and how you can take it back by rewiring it. So welcome again to the podcast with me, your hostess with the mostest, Dr. Trish Leigh. I am excited to dive into this dopamine hijack today, and I know you're going to get a lot out of it. So get a cup of coffee, get a cup of tea, a long drive, buckle up, because we're going to dive deep. Okay? So first, let's talk about what is the dopamine hijack? So you've probably heard me talk about this before and other people, for sure. Dopamine is a hot topic, but it's often misunderstood. Understood. It is referred to as the pleasure chemical. But more than being the pleasure chemical, it's actually the motivation chemical in your brain. It is the molecule that tells you do it again. So it's supposed to be, from an evolutionary perspective, that dopamine is released when you do the, you know, the hard work, or it doesn't even have to be hard work, but you put the effort. Effort in. In your life, and then it pays off. So you put the effort in and then it pays off. And here's a great story. I went to breakfast this morning with Declan, my handsome son, who's going to be 22 and with my daughter, Saoirse. And Declan said that he studied really hard for an exam in finance, and he had to go to the testing center to take it at one of the computer setups, or, you know, he had his cubicle and his computer, and he's taking his finance and this particular test. When he got done taking it, his score came up on the screen immediately. So check this out. He got a 100, which is amazing. He studied really hard. He told me all of the ways that he prepared, that he knew he was going to do well, but he thought he was going to get, you know, an 85 or 90 because it's a difficult subject for him, 100 flashes on the screen. Of course, I joked with him. Did it have an exclamation point after it? The answer was no. But this is what he said. He said he could Feel the dopamine in his brain. He said he just stared at the screen and that he was filled with this rush, this feeling that all of his hard work paid off. That is what dopamine is supposed to do. It's supposed to make you do that again. But when it gets linked to something that's an easy button, lifestyle or behavior as I like to call it, your dopamine gets hijacked. You get robbed of those experiences. Because now studying for a test and taking it, first of all, you probably won't get a hundred if you are miswired to the screen. And secondarily, that level of dopamine that Declan experienced as a mini surge that wouldn't even hit the nervous system of a person who is used to getting a lot of dopamine from either intense screen time, like explicit matter, or a lot of screen time that is consistent over time. So my point is that do it again chemical in your brain, it leads you back to the screen because that's where all the dopamine is. You've linked it on accident to the screen and whatever you are consuming so it's no longer linked to those experiences in your life. You're accidentally robbing yourself of the ability to feel that surge in your life. And we're going to talk about some of the hidden effects in just a minute that you might not even understand. You're also robbing yourself of. So first let's talk about how screens actually are exploiting this motivational signal back to what should be those evolutionary or healthy behaviors, like work, like real world relationships, like your partner or your tribe to stay alive, right? Your family, your children to protect them, your parents, how those healthy behaviors, your passions, your purpose, you know, why you're here on planet Earth, how you're going to contribute the things you're going to enjoy. That's what you're supposed to be linked to. But instead you get linked to infinite scroll, right? Endless novelty dopamine, the novelty aspect from an evolutionary perspective, that was to keep you alive too, right? A new bush with different berries, that's new food that would keep you alive. Or you go into a new area and now there's safety there and you can build place to sleep. But now it's infinite scroll, endless novelty of passive consumption of content that isn't serving any of those things that actually are protective survival and also thrival in the real world, okay? Screens also exploit you by notifications. It's an unpredictable reward. We know these are the strongest rewards, kind of like the slot Machine, you know, at the casino or in Las Vegas, the slot machine. Your brain isn't conditioned to the reward. It's conditioned to keep going for the potential of the reward. That's what an intermittent, unpredictable reward schedule is. This is how notifications work. It's also the external validation, which is the next aspect that social validation hit. But it's artificial. It's likes, it's fires, it's views, right? None of that is real world intimacy or connection. But your brain confuses it because the dopamine gets linked to it. I call this, I'm working on my next book, which is really exciting. And I'm calling this the Double Delusional Deception. And here's how it's so dangerous is every time you get that notification or that hit, because a lot of people liked your photo, you actually, on a brain neurological level, you begin to think you're actually going towards survival and thrival, because those neurochemicals are flowing. So the double deception is you're going in the totally wrong direction of the purpose of your life. But because of this neurochemical hit, you are pulled even more in that direction. It's a deception and it's very dangerous. It derails people's entire life away from their families, their partners, their work and their hobbies. And instead they're caught in the screen thinking it's good for them, thinking it's leading them in the direction that they want. These are supernormal stimuli. These digital inputs are bigger, they're faster, they hit with more intensity than your brain was evolved to handle. They are hijacking you. Okay, so now let's transition into how screens miswire your brain. How does it happen? So the first thing that is happening through all of these things, infinite scroll notifications, novelty. The external social validation, that's artificial. What happens is your attention is fragmented. Fragmentation. This has become a really important word to me. Constant dopamine spikes actually suppress the calm focused state in your brain of alpha and low beta, that medium speed of power for calm, focused alertness. This is suppressed by, by all of those constant dopamine spikes. If you give your brain enough dopamine spikes, it actually raises your baseline alpha, which we will talk about next in one second. But this fragmentation of attention is exactly what I started to tell you. And I know I felt the pull of this. And I have the rails, the guardrails on my screen time. So I will pull up my phone. Mine's usually work. So I pulled up my phone and I was going on to do One thing, but then I remembered that I have to sign up for this equestrian thing for Saoirse. And then I almost clicked open my text to do that, and then I'm like, that's not why I'm on my phone right now. So it's not the same as social media, but it's fragmented attention. But I brought myself back before I allowed myself to go in seven directions. When you have dopamine spikes, your brain becomes fragmented, alpha suppresses, your attention becomes fragmented. Now, like I said to you, if you get so many dopamine spikes, your dopamine baseline will raise, which means now you need even more dopamine. This leads to what is called desensitization. I like to call it drained brain. The more you scroll, the less joy you feel in your real life because your alpha gets stuck high, which means now the dopamine hits, don't hit anymore. And this is why I was saying about Declan, he got a surge of dopamine from 100 on a finance test because doesn't give his brain high surges, extra supernormal surges of dopamine. So he felt that one from the hundred. But if you're consuming explicit matter, that's going to give you a flood at 400% dopamine. This is what we know. 400% raise over baseline. A finance test, arguably, we're going to call it a 20% increase, right? If you're lucky. But. So Your Finance Test 100 could never compete to 400%. Being with your partner, having a lovely intimate experience that never compete because it's not 400% desensitization from all of that dopamine. Now, here's the last thing we're going to talk about in the mis wiring. So you get miswired so that you need more dopamine, you have less joy, your attention is fragmented. Science is showing that, especially for young people, digital natives who are growing up online, basically is that they are not forming strong identity from the inside out. And identity formation is a very challenging thing in the first place. Which is why in my programs, I'm always trying to teach people to take a step back and clear the slate of your mind and figure out who you are, whether your mom likes it or your brother likes it or your uncle likes it. Who are you, whether the people in your world like it. Now you have to figure out who you are with taking in all this passive content, confusing who you might be. Plus you're getting all these thumbs up for, you know, if you put hypersexual pictures out there and you get a million likes for that photo. But the photo of you on a big wheel doesn't get any likes. Now you're like, okay, more saucy photos. No, photos with big wheels. Which Big wheels are epic. If you ever had a big wheel, they're amazing. A big whale is like a plastic tricycle that's lower to the ground. And you remember the green machine. That was awesome. Which had levers. Those are big fun. But that's not going to get as many likes as a hypersexual piece of content these days. So that's how identity gets formed in the wrong direction. And forming a strong sense of self is the solution. And we'll get there in a few minutes. Okay, now let's talk about the hidden costs. I alluded to them. Here's what happens. First of all, if your identity's not formulated, you don't totally know who you are. So that leads to a lot of mental health issues. The dopamine surge and lack thereof leads to anxiety, depression, ADHD symptoms. And it's actually not just the symptoms. It's the ADHD brain pattern. Remember, I've seen tens of thousands of brain scans. It is the ADHD brain pattern. That's why when it comes to pornography consumption, I call it piadhd. Porn induced adhd. It's a thing. I've seen it over and over and over thousands of times. So these mental and cognitive issues are driven by neurological dysregulation. Your brain is not performing in the optimal pattern. It's miswired mental health issues. Now there's also physical issues. Wait for it. Right? Wait for it. SAD and ed. SAD is sexual arousal dysfunction. Ed, erectile dysfunction and other, you know, sexual arousal dysfunction kind of covers the gamuts because some people might not relate with full blown ed. Just the struggle is real, if you know what I mean. This is from those desensitized pathways. So it affects intimacy, the pleasure pathways in your brain. And that motivation back to more is linked to the screen at very high levels. 400% over baseline. Your partner on a good day, she's not 400% over baseline. The human condition's a challenging one, Right? So your partner likely is closer to an eight. Seven. Arguably eight on a good day, maybe a nine if you're lucky. On a one to ten point scale. 400%, we're going to call that a 40. So it could not compete. Okay. The next hidden cost motivation crash. When that alpha dopamine spike sticks in your and drain brain, that very Much affects motivation. I like to call alpha neutral. So, you know, it's good to shift into neutral. At the end of the night, you hit the couch, shift into neutral, watch a movie, chill out. But if you're hitting those dopamine spikes, you get stuck in neutral. When you're stuck in neutral, your motivation tanks. Procrastination, burnout, low drive, low activation. That's where the arousal dysfunction comes from, too. Lastly, what we're going to talk about now, relational disconnect. Less presence, more distraction. That fragmented attention means you can't be present in your real life. One of the most beautiful experiences is going to do something that's important to you and just being able to be fully present. Saoirse rides horses, and we're about to go to a horse show again in a week or so. Going to a horse show involves sitting in a field for approximately eight to 10 hours a day and watching her do her competition for seven minutes. But guess what? I love it. It's amazing. It's just full presence in nature, enjoying horses, enjoying her, loving her passion. You know, she's going to be 15 on Sunday and I feel the. The time that she's gonna leave soon. My time with her is so limited. She's my last kiddo. She's number five. I'm just fully present, taking in every moment. That's what I want for you. Not distracted. I'm not on my phone, I'm just taking it in. Hopefully there's a good food truck with some decent coffee. Am I right? Okay, now let's go to. We've looked at. There's hidden costs, there's miswiring, you know, there's the dopamine hijack. So now let's go. How could you possibly rewire your brain back? I want to remind you that neuroplasticity is your best friend or your worst enemy. It's not selective. It will do. Neuroplasticity will work in the direction that you work it. That's what the rewire is. The miswire is you've accidentally worked that connection to the screen, especially explicit matter, because it's very high supernormal stimulus. So now we've got to unmiswire it, right? And rewire it. So this is what we're talking about, number one, awareness. That's why I'm here. Step number one. I've had a really interesting thought yesterday morning is that the first thing you have to do is change your mind. You have to decide that you want to learn the things that you need to do. To be able to unwire and rewire and hardwire your brain. And I've talked about this before to you is you have to commit. Commitment is an event and then it's a process. But the thing that I thought about is that all change comes about when you decide you want to change on the inside. But the decision isn't just to change. It's to learn how to change and to learn how to be the new version of yourself. Self awareness and commitment are that first step. Boom. That's it. Mic drop right there. You have to become aware of the problem. And I just told you what it is. Aware of the solution. Commit to doing it. Number two is you have to reset your daily rituals about how you are wiring this dopamine in your brain to the behaviors and to the experiences that you are giving yourself. You're the creator of your life. So what this means is no more going to the screen. But if you have a compulsion that might be very difficult, just remember that. So you have to unplug the rituals. Screen free time in the morning. Clean that slate. Remember your purpose, your passion can only land on a clean slate in your mind. You do that by creating time. Empty time, quiet time device, free time, same thing. In the evening, you check your phone for the last time. Seven o', clock, you put your phone down. No more checking it. If you're going to do anything, watch a show, watch something that's relaxing and enjoyable. Ease your brain into sleep. No screens. Reset your brain. Reset your schedule. Number three is you can train your nervous system. It's like a puppy. You've trained it to go to the screen. You've trained it to go to explicit matter. Now you're going to use neuroplasticity as your best friend. You're going to train this brain of yours back into your life. I offer a program if you're looking for help. It's called Pleasure Pathway Reset. So please go over to drtrishleigh.com even if you are not in a position to join it right now. You can read. It's the longest webpage ever. You can read all the way down, all the things that are in that program that will let you know all the things that you need to do to train your nervous system like a puppy, back into your life. And of course, I love a double entendre. Pleasure pathways Reset is a double entendre. We are retraining the actual pleasure pathways in your brain. The reward center in the midbrain, the reward pathways up to the prefrontal cortex. We are rewiring them. We can do it using technology, which I'll tell you about in a second, but you also can learn how to use your mind and body. So go check out the pleasure pathways. Reset. Okay, next is my one on one clinic. It's called neurofeedback. Now of course you can do it with anybody else that you want, but this is my expertise. I help people rewire their brains and using brain tech, especially people with screen compulsions and especially explicit matter. So go over, check it out. One on one clinic. Use brain tech. It's like a workout for your brain. It's like an ab roller. You don't have to do the work, it does the work for you. You can check out my book, Mind over Explicit Matter. It's available everywhere you buy books and it's already helping thousands and thousands of people to rewire their brain. It's such a low investment. People are commenting that it's a great read. Pick it up. You can also use mindfulness. You can use movement and you can use your breath. In a pinch, you can use box breathing and it will regulate your nervous system a little bit. But remember, if you're stuck, you might need help. And then of course, step number four, redirect your dopamine. Figure out when we're talking about pleasure, what are the things you used to love to do? What are the things you do love to do but you haven't done them in a while because you've been too busy or been watching too much screens or porn? Figure out what those things are. That's where the dopamine is in your real life. Plan date night. Plan to take your kids to do something fun. Go with your kids to something they enjoy and just take it in. Be present. Look for the natural rewards. Take a finance class. Take an exam. I'm only kidding about that one. Relationships, creativity, purpose. Make sure you find out what you enjoy in your life. And then of course, make time to do it. Okay, so I want to remind you that supernormal living is possible. What we're talking about here is supernormal stimuli, dopamine, 400% from screens and explicit matter hijacking your brain. I think more now than ever we have to choose to be top 1% people. That's what supernormal living is. It's about recognizing the dangers of excessive screen time and figuring out how to balance it. While audio sing explicit matter, it cannot stay in the mix. This is how you reclaim your joy, your focus, your motivation, your connection. If you're Missing those things, they're there for the taking. But you have to figure out how to come out of the screen and live like the top 1%. And I love this idea because Darwin studied this in evolution. The top females would choose the top males, and they would live at the top of the food chain as pair bonded creatures. The lower level males were left to be selected by the lower level females who were down on the food chain. You want to be at the top of the food chain? Become a top 1% person. Figure out what you want in your life, go after it and enjoy doing it while we go around, you know, on this marble in the sky, Time's limited, you know, live like your life depends on it, because it does, my friend. I want to remind you that every time you unplug, you're not losing out. You're choosing to rewire. It's not loss, it's Choice. It's a top 1% person choice. And you got to be different if you want to get different outcomes than everybody else. Okay, here's your challenge. You ready for it? This week, try one hour a day, completely screen free. See how your brain feels. If you're feeling squirrely, it means you need the dopamine. You will start feeling better. People tell me all the time when I challenge them to do that, when they don't pick up social media and they stay present in their life instead, they feel better. Okay, please go over to Dr. Trishleigh.com. get your brain mapped. I can show you exactly what's happening in your brain and where that dysfunction lies, how far away your brain is from optimal. If you have drained brain, I can show you that with your own eyes. Plus, we get to spend time together. Okay? Your dopamine was designed for joy, not for squirreling. So remember to control your brain or it'll control you. Because that's the truth. I'll talk to you next time.