Neuroscientist: “We are in the Great Dumbing Down of Humanity.” What every Woman (and parent) needs to hear with TJ Power
The first time I interviewed TJ, I felt like I had learned more about myself in 45 minutes than I had in seven years of therapy. And I don’t say that lightly.
TJ has a gift for taking something that feels complicated, like your brain, your habits and your lack of motivation, and making it click. In this conversation we talk about dopamine, but not in the way you’ve probably heard it before. TJ is a neuroscientist and the founder of DOSE Lab, where he studies what he calls “stimulation addiction”: how modern life, from our phones to sugar to alcohol, is rewiring our brains, and more importantly, how to reverse it.
The big ideasKey Takeaways
- 01Dopamine drives your motivation, focus and mood, and modern life is overloading it, leaving so many of us flat, distracted and unmotivated.
- 02Scrolling, sugar and alcohol give quick relief but leave you feeling worse, and constant stimulation is changing our kids’ attention spans too.
- 03Your brain can reset surprisingly quickly when you reduce stimulation and rebuild dopamine the way our ancestors earned it.
Jump straight inEpisode Chapters
- Why Understanding Your Brain Can Change Your Life
- What Dopamine Is and Why It Controls Motivation, Focus and Mood
- Why Modern Life Leaves You Flat, Distracted or Unmotivated
- How Our Ancestors Earned Dopamine
- The “Great Dumbing Down” of Humanity
- Why Scrolling, Alcohol and Sugar Leave You Feeling Worse
- Why Some People Chase Stimulation and Others Feel Steady
- Why You Keep Reaching for Your Phone, Food or Alcohol
- What Constant Stimulation Is Doing to Kids’ Brains
- Why We Choose Quick Relief Over What Makes Us Feel Better
- The Signs Your Dopamine Is Dysregulated
- How to Rebuild Your Dopamine
- How Quickly Your Brain Can Reset
- Why Life Can Feel Like It’s Speeding Up
Tap a chapter to watch from that moment on YouTube
Meet your guestTJ Power
TJ Power is a neuroscientist and the founder of DOSE Lab, where he studies “stimulation addiction” and how modern life, from our phones to sugar to alcohol, is rewiring our brains.
He is known for making brain science simple and practical, helping people understand their habits and rebuild motivation, focus and calm.
Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia’s leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast, Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle.
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