Dopamine Chasers

What is dopamine? According to Health Direct, dopamine is “a chemical released in the brain that makes you feel good.” It is created naturally and can be enhanced by external forces.

Dopamine is available in abundance. It’s provided on every screen and therefore requires only a click or a tap for quick infusion.

However, a limitless supply of dopamine is a Faustian deal. By constantly chasing the highs it provides, the body stops producing the previously normal amount of dopamine. Therefore the natural state of the dopamine chaser gradually falls lower. A world without screens becomes utterly depressing and for some, unbearable. Everything is trivial compared to the social media rush.

Riding a bike also provides a dopamine high, so admittedly I chase dopamine to an extent. And fall is my favorite season to ride the bicycle.

This morning two deers crossed my path on the Riverfront trail. The dawn sunlight gilded the trees and filtered through them, creating stripes of light and dark on the path ahead of me. It was about as ethereal as the Midwest can get.

Near the end of my ride I crossed paths with some construction workers and felt a deep sense of envy for them. Unlike modern “knowledge workers,” they were actually creating something. Not a fake thing such as a spreadsheet or a report, but something material, something useful. There is craft involved, in spite of the physical labor. I believe humans were meant to create.