We are living in a world that does not encourage the natural production of dopamine
Iwas speaking with a friend this week and he was telling me about how people in our home country, Italy, were also very angry, whether because of the economic crisis or the dysfunctional management of the immigration issue. He said that the situation was just not sustainable. We can assume, without over-generalising, that it is a worldwide phenomenon and is probably due to the fact that we are passing through a phase which is unpredictable and unstable. This is what makes people agitated – the feeling of not being in control. Also, life became objectively much more challenging in the past 30-40 years. My grandpa had one bank account, one phone line and no codes to remember. Today, we have pins, passwords, usernames … just remembering all this information increases our level of stress.
Summer also has an effect. I come from a Mediterranean country, where I find the level of anger increasing in July and August. Fortunately, in the UAE, things don’t go out of control because of the high level of discipline and safety, unlike my country or any other place.
Another aspect is technology – when we were young, we expected that technology would help make our lives easier, we would have to work less and we would be able to enjoy more free time. Our lives would be easier. But in reality, you can see it complicated our lives and made it more difficult to handle.
Also, consider this – dopamine (a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centres) is released when people get validation on social media. You get used to receiving a boost of dopamine through an outside source so your inner production of dopamine reduces. We can’t say if the dopamine addiction is because of social media, but definitely it is not a remedy. You can learn how to produce this dopamine in a healthy way – whether through meditation or by not exposing yourself to stressful situations. Otherwise, you will not be able to find the balance you need.
Unfortunately, we have to live and perform in a world that does not promote the natural release of dopamine or beneficial hormones like serotonin or positive endorphins. It actually encourages the production of stress-related hormones. Dr Andrea Tosatto Clinical Psychologist based in Dubai