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(Not So Great) Expectations | Psychology Today
The link between expectations, dopamine and perception
Research shows that happy people solve more problems and come up with more ideas. The search for happiness is perhaps really a search for the right levels of dopamine.
To create a 'happy' life, perhaps we should live a life with a good amount of novelty, create opportunities for unexpected rewards, and have a positive outlook.
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Key Ideas
Dopamine Functions
Dopamine is an important chemical messenger that plays several important roles in the brain and body:
- It influences moods and feelings of reward and motivation: When&nbs...
Increase dopamine levels naturally
They are generally well regulated by the body, but there are a few diet and lifestyle changes you can make to boost your levels naturally:
- Eat lots of protein
- Eat less saturated fat
- Consume probiotics
- Exercise often
- Get enough sleep
- Listen to music
- Meditate
- Get enough sunlight
Attraction Towards Stuff
Right from childhood, we are attracted to things that we can call our own, stuff like clothes, toys, bags, and books, later morphing into adult toys like cars, jewellery, furniture, Playstations an...
Kids And Possessions
- In children, attachment to certain objects like a favourite toy or blanket is common.
- They can rebel or move to tears when made to part with the object they are attached to, as a deep bond is formed.
- The object aids the kid’s transition to adulthood and is more common when they are not attached to their parents.
Attachment To Objects: Mid Adolescence
Being happy with material goods peaks during the formative years, when new experiences make the teenager’s already fragile self-esteem fluctuate. A sense of self-worth and respect makes them less prone to attachment towards materialist objects.
Pre-teen girls identify so much with material objects like clothes, that if they exchange it with each other, it feels that they have shared their identity.
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Key Ideas
Different types of "shopaholics"
- Compulsive shoppers: Buying when they are feeling emotional distress.
- Trophy shoppers: They are always looking for the next great item.
- ...
Socially acceptable
Shopping can be socially acceptable because consumerism is continually pushed on us in the forms of posters, adverts, and signs.
Shopping is also a way of life: You need food and clothing from stores. Even if you try to stop compulsive buying by avoiding the stores in person, there is still a world of online shopping.