The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka — Episode 209 Summary

Guest: TJ Power
Topic: How Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin & Endorphins Drive Happiness and Longevity
Release Date: October 14, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, human biologist and longevity expert Gary Brecka sits down with neuroscientist and Dose Lab founder TJ Power at the Health 2025 summit in London. Their wide-ranging conversation explores how the brain’s key neurotransmitters—dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins (the “DOSE” acronym)—control our motivation, sense of connection, happiness, and even longevity. They discuss how modern habits and technology disrupt natural neurochemical balance—and practical strategies for living in alignment with evolutionary biology to feel more fulfilled.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Role of Dopamine in Motivation & Modern Addiction

• Dopamine’s evolutionary purpose: Historically, dopamine drove humans to pursue challenging but meaningful activities—hunting, fire-making, building shelter—providing slow-earned reward and deep satisfaction.
• Modern dopamine pitfalls: Today's instant gratification (social media, phones, sugar, porn) delivers rapid dopamine spikes, leading to addiction and a lack of motivation for deeper pursuits.
  • “The absence of dopamine is the presence of addiction.” — Gary (00:11)
• Dopamine factory analogy: TJ explains that our brains have a limited dopamine “factory.” Cheap hits (scrolling, junk food, etc.) exhaust reserves, leaving us apathetic and unfocused.

Notable Quote:

“You scroll videos for a while, after you eventually finish…you don’t think in your head, ‘wow, that was such a good scroll.’ If anything, you think, ‘shit, how do I get more of that feeling? Because it didn’t feel like enough.’” — TJ Power (00:19, 23:24)

2. The Importance of Oxytocin: Connection, Belonging, & Fulfillment

• Oxytocin’s purpose: Drives deep human bonding, a sense of purpose, and community—crucial for emotional health and longevity.
• Societal issue: Modern life prioritizes dopamine (quick hits) over oxytocin (slow, deep connection), leading to widespread dissatisfaction.
  • “No matter how successful you become—your money, your fame—you just think, more, more. We're too driven by dopamine. And in the pursuit of oxytocin, your system starts to think, well, actually my life's pretty good.” — TJ (00:58, 24:34)
• Social media’s illusion: Fake connections online reduce our drive for real-world interactions, which are necessary for meaningful oxytocin release.

Notable Quote:

“Social media is not necessarily the enemy itself. It’s that social media makes us feel connected, and we’re actually not connected.” — Gary (00:28, 08:55)

3. Serotonin: Mood, Nature, and the Modern World

• Serotonin’s roots: 90% is produced in the gut and heavily influenced by time in nature, exposure to sunlight, and alignment with natural cues.

• Nature's healing: Countries like Japan prescribe “forest bathing” (Shinrin Yoku) as mental health intervention, showing measurable increases in serotonin and overall well-being.

  • “Japan also has the best forests on Earth… Dr. Keeling started putting people into nature and called it Shinrin Yoku, this forest bathing idea…” — TJ (32:00)

• Modern deficit: Excessive urban lifestyles and technology sever our evolutionary connection to natural settings, lowering serotonin, and contributing to mood instability.

4. Endorphins: Stress, Exercise, and Release

• Evolutionary function: Endorphins evolved to help us endure physical hardship and acute stress—once common in ancestral life (hunting, escaping danger).
• Modern mismatch: Today, stress comes mainly from psychological or social sources, but without physical exertion, resulting in unrelieved tension.
  • “If you think, right, I’ve had a stressful day…I’ve got to get this out of me. I can't just go chill on the sofa to get this out of me. Chilling on the sofa will be great later... But…Walk, run up a hill, push some weights, freeze yourself in an ice bath, get in a sauna. That's how we activate the endorphins.” — TJ (41:30)
• Rituals like cold plunging, intense exercise, and sauna stimulate endorphin release, improving stress resilience and mood.

5. Putting it All Together: The DOSE Effect & Dose Lab

• The DOSE acronym (Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, Endorphins): TJ’s research and website help people identify habits that naturally boost each neurotransmitter.
• Gamifying well-being: The Dose Lab chooses 20 science-backed habits (5 per chemical) to help users rebalance and track their neurochemical health.
• Self-awareness: Users rate their motivation, attention span, emotional stability, and connection to get a “score” for each neurotransmitter, then complete practical challenges to improve well-being.

Memorable Analogy:

“My Instagram is like standing in McDonalds handing out salads. I’m on Instagram teaching people how to maybe use it a bit less and build a better relationship with it.” — TJ (64:32)

6. Technology, Distraction, and the Radical Power of Boredom (Low Stim)

• “Phone fasting”: TJ recommends regular stints of intentional phone-free time, especially as a morning ritual, to reset the brain’s dopamine source and lower daily screen time.
  • “The core is to break up with the phone… We created this framework called phone fasting… for periods of time that could be longer phone fast... Intermittent phone fasting: we need it just as much as food fasting.” — TJ (55:08–55:55)
• Boredom reframed as “low stim”: By intentionally seeking non-stimulating moments (no devices, no multitasking), we activate the brain’s default mode network, which is critical for introspection, creativity, and future planning.
  • “If you spend your life always in distraction, you’re simply reducing your odds of accessing your dreams.” — TJ (63:12)

7. Longevity, Community, and Happiness

• Study references: Longevity “blue zones,” Harvard’s 80-year study—all point to mobility, purpose, and depth of human relationships as keys to a long, happy life.
• TJ and Gary both reflect on their own lives, realizing deep gratitude and peace come not from more achievement (dopamine), but from meaningful connection and presence (oxytocin/serotonin).

Notable Quote:

“It’s almost even nicer than success—peace is almost better than success, really.” — TJ (28:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 00:11 | Gary | “The absence of dopamine is the presence of addiction.” | | 23:24 | TJ | “If anything, you think, shit, how do I get more of that feeling? Because it didn’t feel like enough.” | | 08:55 | Gary | “Social media is not necessarily the enemy itself. It’s that social media makes us feel connected, and we’re actually not connected.” | | 24:34 | TJ | “No matter how successful you become…you just think, more, more. We're too driven by dopamine. And in the pursuit of oxytocin, your system starts to think, well, actually my life's pretty good.” | | 28:50 | TJ | “Peace is almost better than success, really.” | | 32:00 | TJ | “Japan… Dr. Keeling started putting people into nature and called it Shinrin Yoku, this forest bathing idea…” | | 41:30 | TJ | “If you’ve had a stressful day…you’ve got to get this out. Walk, run up a hill, push some weights, freeze yourself…That’s how we activate the endorphins.” | | 55:08 | TJ | “The core is to break up with the phone… We need phone fasting as a consistent protocol…” | | 63:12 | TJ | “If you spend your life always in distraction, you’re simply reducing your odds of accessing your dreams.” |

Timestamps for Key Sections

• 00:00–03:00: Setting the evolutionary context for neurotransmitters
• 05:29–08:55: TJ’s personal journey with “dopamine addiction” and discovery of DOSE
• 08:55–11:27: How modern social media disrupts connection and happiness
• 14:21–14:39: Instant gratification vs. ancestral patterns (dopamine vs. oxytocin)
• 16:04–22:29: Defining and comparing each neurotransmitter in detail
• 32:00–35:20: Serotonin, forest bathing, and the value of nature
• 39:32–42:49: Endorphins, stress, and the need for physical exertion
• 55:08–59:17: “Phone fasting,” breaking technological addiction, and family rituals
• 61:18–63:56: “Low stim” and boredom as a tool for introspection and creativity
• 65:17–66:21: What it means to be an ultimate human — TJ’s philosophy

Final Takeaways

• Modern life’s technological “hacks” mostly target dopamine, creating an epidemic of addiction, distraction, and lower baseline motivation.
• Oxytocin (connection, depth, and community) is the missing piece for true fulfillment and longevity.
• Serotonin is best restored through deep time in nature and rhythm with the natural world.
• Endorphins require physical release—intense exercise, cold exposure, and challenge—not passive relaxation.
• Practical strategies like Dose Lab’s habits and phone fasting enable easy, incremental changes to restore balance and find genuine happiness.

Guest Resources:

• TJ Power’s book: The Dose Effect
• Dose Lab Programs: tjpower.co.uk
• Instagram: @tjpower
• Listen or read The Dose Effect on Spotify or other platforms

Closing Thought from TJ:

“To be an ultimate human? I would say…to be a dad that can provide and create a beautiful life for the family…and in the face of it, feel calm and present with them as I navigate that experience. That’s my ultimate dream.” (65:17)

For listeners:
This episode delivers practical neuroscience and deep wisdom about how to realign with your biology for a life of deeper satisfaction, authentic connection, and true longevity. If you want a simple, science-backed approach to being happier and “more human” in a distracted, digital world, this conversation is a must-listen.